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The Economist: Peru's Lava Jato case Prosecutors should not be removed

13:23 | London (U.K.), Dec. 25.

The Economist Intelligence Unit has affirmed it is important to respect the independence of the Peruvian Prosecutors in charge of Lava Jato case and that they should not be removed without due cause.

"This is important so that people can have confidence in the results of the investigation, and there are no questions about whether there was unnecessary or inappropriate interference," Research Analyst Abhijit Surya expressed.

Likewise, the officer underlined that "it appears to be fairly clear that there is no political bias in the fight against corruption" in Peru.

"Politicians from across the political spectrum are being investigated for alleged crimes, whether they ascribe to a left-leaning political ideology (like Ollanta Humala) or to a right-leaning one (like Keiko Fujimori)," he added.

Furthermore, the officer pointed out the progress Peru makes in the fight against corruption is generally positive for investors, as it improves their confidence in institutional and judicial processes.

However, he said, there is significant implementation risk, and many of the benefits may not be made visible until the medium to long-term.

"I believe that it is important for any anti-corruption movement to involve stakeholders other than the government as well, namely businesses and civil society," Surya stated.

In addition, The Economist has generally held a favorable view of some of the political reform proposals put forth by President Martin Vizcarra, such as the reform of the National Council of the Magistracy (CNM) —renamed National Justice Board— and the regulation of campaign finance by political parties, both of which should help improve transparency and fight graft.

Last week, Lava Jato Case Special Prosecution Group Coordinator Rafael Vela affirmed there is hostility against the Odebrecht investigation Prosecutors. Reports suggest the existence of friction between his team and Attorney General Pedro Chavarry.

In Peru, the Attorney General is not designated or confirmed by the President of the Republic. In fact, President Vizcarra has expressed his full support to the continuation of Prosecutors Rafael Vela and Jose Domingo Perez in the Lava Jato case.

Odebrecht

As is known, the Brazilian construction giant admitted to having paid millions in bribes to government officials in Peru, in order to secure public-works contracts.

As a result, Odebrecht benefited from over US$143 million between 2005 and 2014 in Peru, according to the U.S. Justice Department.

In addition, four ex-Presidents have been linked to the Brazilian company such as: Alejandro Toledo (2001-2006), Alan Garcia (2006-2011), Ollanta Humala (2011-2016), and Pedro Pablo Kuczynski (2016-2018).

Former presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori —currently under preventive detention— also allegedly received money from Odebrecht for her 2011 campaign.

(END) NDP/DTK/MVB

Published: 12/25/2018

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The Economist: Peru's Lava Jato case Prosecutors should not be removed

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