Suspended
Superior Prosecutor Rafael Vela on Wednesday rejected the accusations against him made by
Jaime Villanueva —former advisor to the
ex-Attorney General Patricia Benavides— as he denied having established coordination with journalist Gustavo Gorriti on the cases investigated by the
Lava Jato Case Special Prosecution Group.
Vela indicated that he had met with Gorriti, "but just like I do with multiple journalists," he pointed out.
Similarly, the magistrate stressed that "absolutely nothing was coordinated in relation to the cases" at said meetings.
"I have never met with Mrs. Luque. I don't know her," Vela stated.
Vela reminded reporters that said character "has a pre-trial detention order in force, requested by the Prosecutor's Office Specialized in Money Laundering Cases."
Peru Libre
He used a similar adjective to respond to an alleged negotiation not to investigate the current
President of the Republic, Dina Boluarte, over the case of alleged irregularities in the financing of Peru Libre party campaign.
In that sense, Vela stated that he never met with
Villanueva or Miguel Girao (another advisor to Patricia Benavides), nor with Prosecutor Marco Huaman, or with the President's then-lawyer Oscar Nieves, to discuss this issue.
The magistrate made these remarks upon arrival at Jorge Chavez International Airport in Lima.
In a subsequent press conference, Vela gave more details regarding his previous remarks.
He indicated that the only time he saw Cerron directly was during a virtual court hearing at which the prosecutor's request for pre-trial detention was supported.
He also said that the investigation of President Dina Boluarte over the financing of Peru Libre (Free Peru party) was generated by the team of prosecutors (fighting) against corruption by public officials.
"We didn't have it originally, as Cerron insinuates," he said.
In this regard, Vela specified that the direction of investigations such as the one mentioned above corresponds to the respective provincial prosecutor and not to a coordinating prosecutor like him.
In that sense, he deemed as "deliberate" that Cerron had said the opposite.
Furthermore, Vela denied having conspired with the National Elections Board (JNE) to exclude Fuerza Popular (Popular Force Party) leader Keiko Fujimori from the electoral race.
He indicated that the Cocktails Case was enhanced when, through cooperation with Brazil's justice system, former Odebrecht Director in Peru Jorge Barata revealed that he had contributed money to said party and even showed a note about it.
Moreover, the magistrate expressed surprise because Villanueva has taken two months to make statements.
Lastly, Vela emphasized the fact that Villanueva had made said statements before Prosecutor Reynaldo Abia, with whom Vela said he had a conflict, since the latter "has made defamatory insinuations against me, which are precisely the statements that Villanueva reproduces."
(END) FGM/CVC/RMB/MVB
Published: 2/14/2024