Peru Formalizes Charges Against Vizcarra in Contracts Case

In Peru, the Prosecutor's Office officially presented a constitutional complaint against ex-President Martin Vizcarra (2018-2020) for irregular contracts granted to singer Richard Swing.

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Besides Vizcarra, the complaint also accussed former Culture Ministers Patricia Balbuena, Ulla Sarela, and Sonia Guillen.

Prosecutor Zoraida Avalos indicated that the defendants must respond for aggravated influence peddling, fraudulent embezzlement, and incompatible negotiation crimes.

Vizcarra will also be indicted for justice obstruction due to his maneuvers to coordinate with Cabinet officials a version for Swing's irregular hirings ahead of the investigations. 

Despite not having the required expertise, this singer received some US$50,000 for nine service orders related to motivational talks to officials. The latest contract was granted amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

In Sep. 2020, congressman Edgar Alarcon presented audios tapes in which Vizcarra asked his assistants to lie about the number of times Swing was received at the Government Palace.

A month later, the Peruvian parliament declared Vizcarra's "permanent moral incapacity" in a political trial against him, which occurred five months before the general elections in the country, as BBC recalled.