Peru: Top Attorney Resigns Over Corruption Probe

Peru’s Attorney General Pedro Chavarry caved under mounting pressure by an investigation of several public offices under his charge and demands for his resignation for ‘obstructing’ a corruption-related investigation involving campaign financing, Monday.

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 Chavarry’s announcement came on Monday through social networks.

The twitter communique states: “In honor of the autonomy of the Public Ministry and with the aim of avoiding that other autonomous entities become equally constitutionally affected; as a democrat with a clear trajectory and in applying justice; and if I am the pretext for the continuance of these illegal acts against the institution which I represent as the nation’s attorney general I am calling a meeting for Jan. 8, 2019, as the date when I will...present my resignation letter as the nation’s attorney general.”

Chavarry’s latest statement represents an about-face from when he first came out on Twitter saying he would not step down, “I will give my life and use all my strength to defend our autonomy and democracy."

The general attorney had been holding on by his fingernails to the post as the nation’s top prosecutor’s increased their efforts to get him to resign. The allegations against him include ‘obstructing’ an investigation of Peru’s elected officials for taking in millions from the Odebrecht construction company between 2005 and 2015.

Public pressure and street protests against Chavarry also forced him to reverse his controversial dismissal of the lead investigators in the corruption probe of top officials, as the move jeopardized the investigation on several former presidents and other high-ranking officials who have taken money from Odebrecht.