Peru: President Castillo Accepts Transport Minister Resignation

On Monday, Peruvian President Pedro Castillo accepted the resignation of Transport Minister Juan Silva, whom entrepreneur Karelim Lopez accused of allegedly accepting bribes in exchange for public works with Castillo's authorization.

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"I appreciate the services rendered by Silva. Our commitment remains with the people, and we need to meet the goals set by our administration," Castillo tweeted and denied Lopez’s accusations.

The entrepreneur, who is currently being investigated for money laundering, agreed to provide information accusing Silva so that the judicial authorities consider reducing his possible sentence.

Silva, whom the Senate was about to censor for Lopez’s accusations, was one of the few ministers who had remained in office since Castillo began his tenure in July 2021, when far-right legislators started conspiring to overthrow his administration.

On Monday, the Parliamentary Oversight Commission summoned Castillo to answer for Lopez’s accusations against him on March 7, and legislators from right-wing parties such as Popular Renewal, Alliance for Progress, and Popular Force insisted that he must be removed from office.

This action, however, is unlikely to happen since the presentation of such a motion requires the signature of 28 senators, its admission to the debate needs support from 52 legislators, and its approval needs 87 votes.

“Pressure from the Peruvian right attacks democracy,” Castillo condemned and called on the international community to activate the Inter-American Democratic Charter to fight any destabilizing attempt in his country.