Gonzalo Chávarry is the new Attorney General of Peru, and that has awakened a storm of criticism not only because of his election but also against the justice system in its entirety. The Attorney General is involved in a judicial report on the criminal organization called “White Collars.” As a result of this, several sectors of Peruvian society have called for the resignation of the Prosecutor.
Leer en español: Tormenta política: ¿Por qué la justicia en Perú está en crisis?
In the first place, Chávarry participated in the vote that designated him as Attorney General, which was 3-2 in his favor. This is already a sign of how irregular thechoice was, but this is only the beginning.
The very credibility of the Peruvian judicial structure is at stake, because if the elections cannot be transparent, nothing guarantees that Chávarry’s exercise will be transparent. This is only reinforced after the publication of the report of the provincial prosecutor Sandra Castro.
What is the case of “Callao’ White Collars”?
In July, Peruvian media leaked audio conversations between magistrates of the National Council of the Magistracy (CNM, in Spanish) and some provincial and supreme judges. Orders for promotions, payment of favors, and reductions of sentences are included in the content of these audios.
The audios were intercepted as part of an investigation against “Las Castañuelas de Richport”, a mafia and drug trafficking organization within the jurisdiction of the city of Callao, on the west coast of Peru.
During that operation, Rocío Sánchez, anti-crime prosecutor of the Constitutional Province of Callao, formalized a criminal complaint against businessmen, politicians and judges who were involved in dealings with the criminal organization. What the members of “Las Castañuelas” sought with the judges was to evade arrests and convictions through their lawyers.