The political persecution of Pedro Castillo continues in Peru. On Thursday July 6, the Prosecutor’s Office requested the seizure of real estate properties and other personal assets of former left-wing President Castillo and his former Prime Minister Aníbal Torres.
Prosecutor Daniel Soria made the request to the Preparatory Investigation Court of the Supreme Court of Justice in the case lodged against Castillo after he attempted to dissolve the right-wing dominated Congress and rule by decree in December 2022 in the face of a coordinated attack by the conservative sectors of the country.
The Prosecutor’s Office had charged Castillo and Torres with the alleged crime of rebellion and conspiracy against the State in the case. It solicited confiscation of their properties as a “civil claim for compensation.”
“This is due to the fact that the civil claim for compensation initially requested by us amounts to 67,711,048.33 soles (approximately USD 18.6 million), which was requested in our capacity as civil plaintiff,” read the document issued by the Prosecutor’s Office.
According to the document, the Prosecutor’s Office had demanded the expropriation of Castillo’s three properties in the rural district of Anguía in the department of Cajamarca, as well as a family house in the Tacabamba district, Cajamarca.
In the case of Dr. Torres, they requested the takeover of eight real estate properties in his name, including an apartment and two parking spaces in the basement in San Isidro, three apartments and two parking spots in Pando Cercado, as well as a Jeep vehicle.
Castillo, who was removed from office in a legislative coup and subsequently arrested on December 7, 2022, is currently imprisoned in the Barbadillo prison, located in the capital Lima. He is serving 18 months in preventative detention while the investigation is underway for the alleged crimes of rebellion and conspiracy, abuse of authority and public disturbance for attempting to dissolve the Congress and rule by decree, and another 18 months for the alleged crimes of criminal organization, aggravated influence peddling and collusion in cases related to public works contracts.
Last month, on June 20, as part of their investigation in the case, the Peruvian National Police arrested former Prime Minister Betssy Chávez, who took office after Torres. The National Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court ordered 18 months of pre-trial detention for her, accepting the Prosecutor’s Office request for the same due to her alleged participation in Castillo’s announcement regarding the dissolution of Congress.
The Prosecutor’s Office is also investigating former Interior Minister Willy Huerta and former Foreign Trade and Tourism Minister Roberto Sánchez in the case.
The supporters of the ousted president have criticized the Prosecutor’s Office and the judiciary, whom they alleged were being controlled by the conservative oligarchy, for politically persecuting the Castillo administration. They have condemned the request for the seizure of his assets as a new hostility against him.
