Peruvian President Proposes ‘Civil Death’ to Corrupt Officials

Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski announced what he called a “civil death” sentence for corrupt public servants, which will prevent them from holding any other public office for the rest of their lives.

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The measure will not have to pass the majority opposition Congress since the president has the faculty to enact the law. The announcement comes amid a fresh corruption scandal staged by three of his close collaborators.

Carlos Moreno, a former advisor of Kuczynski, was caught negotiating what he said was going to be “big business” in a tape recording that was released by the local media.

"Those who have been convicted for corruption may never return to work in the state. whether in the central government, municipalities or regions," the president said in a televised broadcast.

According to teleSUR’s correspondent in Lima, Rael Mora, the move directly affects the interests of the ultraconservative Popular Force party, which controls the Congress with 72 of the 130 seats.

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"Congresswoman Cecilia Chacon, who is literally the number one politician in the list of Popular Force was found guilty on corruption charges and is currently facing a legal process, so this is the kind of politicians inside this party," Mora says.

Popular Force represents the policies and the political ideology of former imprisoned dictator Alberto Fujimori, as well as the personality cult built around him and his neoliberal policies.

Since 2010 the political party is chaired by Fujimori’s daughter Keiko Fujimori, who lost by a narrow margin against Kuczynski in June's presidential election.