Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra on Wednesday confirmed his decision to testify before the Prosecutor's Office —before the end of his term in 2021— over the hiring of singer Richard Cisneros by the Ministry of Culture.
"I am willing to do so. I am going to formalize my request to participate directly in the presentation of my testimony, and I reiterate that there is no crime," said the Head of State, noting that the hiring of one person, out of 43,000 under this modality, should not lead to a situation like this.
"I am going to participate to clarify and be part of the investigation. I do not hide behind a position and will not wait until July 28 to testify. I want to do it now and turn the page. Peru's needs are so many, that this item should not be included in the agenda," he emphasized.
"I reiterate that there is no obstruction from the Presidential Office, absolutely not. We can prove it as many times as required. This case has included 13 proceedings, of which four were run in physical presence of prosecutors and experts at the Government Palace, whose doors were open," he said.
"As I have said, I am available for any clarification, and I will formalize it in writing. Some people say: 'since he is the President, he has the prerogative to not participate in the investigation, his statements are not formal.' I will formalize them. I will head to the Prosecutor's Office, make myself available to testify, and clarify that there was no obstruction," he stated.
Regarding the case-related investigation carried out by the Congressional Oversight Commission —led by Edgar Alarcon— the Head of State said that the legislator can ask the questions he considers appropriate, and he will answer them.
However, Mr. Vizcarra believes that the lawmaker (Edgar Alarcon) must answer many questions at Congress itself, regarding what he called "an attempted conspiracy" to impeach him using the case as an excuse.
Today's remarks were made in a press conference held at the National Museum of Archaeology (MUNA) in Lima during a break of a new session of the Council of Ministers.
(END) VVS/RMCH/RMB
Published: 10/7/2020