Peruvian Subcommittee Approves Proposal To Deprive President Of Right To Hold Office

BUENOS AIRES (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 12th November, 2022) A Congressional commission has approved a proposal to deprive Peruvian President Pedro Castillo of the right to hold public office for five years, according to a government statement.

"With 11 votes in favor, the Subcommittee on Constitutional Accusations approved the final report of the constitutional complaint that recommends prohibiting President Pedro Castillo from holding public office for five years," Peru's parliament said in a Friday statement.

The subcommittee also recommended that immunity be removed from the president, who is under investigation amid the opposition's accusations of Castillo having committed treason.

This is not the first time that Peru's lawmakers are trying to impeach Castillo. The president said on Friday that he was not afraid of the subcommittee's decision since he puts the needs of Peruvian citizens first.

President Pedro Castillo faces corruption allegations.

In July, the prosecutor general's office announced that it was investigating Castillo, after accusations were made by former minister of the interior Mariano Gonzalez, who alleged that Castillo had covered for people from his immediate entourage, against whom criminal cases had been initiated.

In early August, Peruvian prosecutors raided the government palace in the capital city of Lima, as well as the home of the country's president in Chota, northern Peru, looking for Yenifer Paredes, the sister of the country's First Lady Lilia Paredes Navarro, who, like the head of state, is suspected of corruption. At the end of August, Yenifer got 30 months of preventive detention.

Castillo has denied all accusations made against him and his family members.

Mass protests were held across Peru earlier this month with people demanding that the president resign.