Benji Espinozaattorney for the president peter castle, announced that this Friday, June 17, the head of state would render his statement to the National Prosecutor’s Office, in case the legal guardianship is not resolved by that day. The hearing of said resource has been convened for two days before (Wednesday 15).
This Monday morning, President Castillo met at the Government Palace with his lawyers Benji Espinoza and Eduardo Pachas for almost an hour.
The Public Ministry opened an investigation without suspension against the president for the alleged crimes of criminal organization, influence peddling and collusion aggravated by the Puente Tarata Case and others.
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As it is recalled, the interrogation of President Castillo as under investigation was scheduled for this Monday, July 13; however, his defense requested the rescheduling of the date.
In their request, the president’s lawyers argued that the matter was pending resolution. appeal that they presented before the Judicial Power questioning the investigation and whose hearing will still take place on Wednesday, June 15.
Given this, the National Prosecutor’s Office set a new date for this Friday, June 17 at 10:00 in the morning.
“If they do not resolve (the guardianship) until Friday, the statement will be rendered, but I will not advance anything anyway. I hope that it will be resolved on Wednesday or even before Friday,” said Espinoza Ramos.
However, he pointed out that if Castillo finally declares before the National Prosecutor’s Office and the Judiciary resolves his rights protection, the testimony would be null and void.
“If the president declares and then the guardianship agrees with us, that declaration would be null and void, because any diligence that is done in violation of the Constitution and the Law, in this case article 117, is null and void,” manifested.
At another time, Espinoza Ramos maintained that they have not yet established the mechanism in which Castillo will render his statement.
“We are evaluating those scenarios. We can do it by specifications, make the Nation’s prosecutor go to the Palace or go to the office of the Nation’s Prosecutor’s Office, we have not yet defined which scenario to follow, ”he said.
According to the president’s legal defense, requesting an interrogation statement in his capacity as an investigator would be possible within “an analogous and extensive application” of those that apply in the case of high-ranking officials who are not summoned as witnesses.
New entrapment in sight
For criminal lawyer Andy Carrión, Pedro Castillo’s statement could lead to a new entrapment if the president’s legal defense requests that it be through an interrogation statement.
“You can also, according to the criteria handled by the Office of the Prosecutor of the Nation, reject the request for the statement. It is within the powers of the prosecutor, but then I think that there we would be in an entrapment only for the form of carrying out a diligence, because what the defense could do is raise another tutelage demanding that the statement be taken from a list of questions. . There will always be an entrapment because we have already seen that the strategy of the defense will be to question everything, ”he noted.
He recalled that it is the first time that an incumbent president is investigated, so the processes and mechanisms will have to be implemented as the proceedings progress.