Lima. The Prosecutor’s Office requested a sentence of 34 years in prison against former Peruvian president Pedro Castillo, accused of rebellion, abuse of authority and serious disturbance of tranquility, judicial sources reported this Thursday.
In the process, whose start date is pending definition by the Judiciary, the prosecutor will base the accusation on the former ruler’s failed attempt to dissolve the opposition Parliament by decree, order an uprising in arms, which also did not take place, and block access to the Legislative Palace.
The Prosecutor’s Office also requested 25 years in prison for its prime minister, Betssy Chávez, and the former ministers of the Interior, Willy Huerta, and of Foreign Trade and Tourism, Roberto Sánchez, currently a parliamentarian, and 15 years (due to their advanced age) for Chávez advisor, Aníbal Torers.
The accusation, the report says, has 40 witnesses, including former ministers, journalists, officials and others; two experts, and 92 documentary evidence (48 on Castillo).
The defense, for its part, will present 19 witnesses in favor of the main accused and 20 documentary evidence.
The former president and his lawyers reject the charge of rebellion and allege that this crime, according to the penal code, is committed through collective uprising in arms, of which, they claim, Castillo did not use.
However, the Prosecutor’s Office points out that having ordered the Armed Forces to execute the decree of dissolution of Parliament and intervention of the justice bodies is equivalent to the use of weapons.
Castillo attempted the measures on December 7, 2022, without them being complied with by the Armed Forces and the Police, without which it was impossible for him to achieve his purpose.
On the contrary, his police escort arrested him and he was imprisoned, while Parliament dismissed him with a summary procedure and did not comply with the requirements of the vacancy, alleging that Castillo committed a flagrante delicto.
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