Lima, 20.07. (Prensa Latina) Peruvian President Pedro Castillo today confirmed the official version that he had fired Interior Minister Mariano González until yesterday for not carrying out his work at the head of this body.
The president referred to the case without mentioning the former minister-turned-staunch opponent who claims he was fired in retaliation for creating an elite police squad to assist anti-corruption prosecutors responsible for finding two former fugitive officials in charge near Castillo was being investigated for possible corruption.
“Recently we were in Ayacucho, I called the ministers of state and told them that the minister who is not working has to go home,” he said at the opening of a craft exhibition.
He added: “Today we are in that scenario and if they have to say don’t wait until you leave administration to talk about the failures and actions within administration and management. Say to yourself that what is said later does not make sense.
Hours earlier, members of the Council of Ministers had dismissed González’s attacks on Castillo, whom they accused of being implicated in corruption and obstructing the work of the new intelligence team, thereby committing the crime of obstruction of justice for which Congress was responsible to remove him .
Both the ministers and Castillo’s lawyer, Benji Mendoza, called on González to produce evidence to support his claims, accusing him of admitting that he took office after he left as a “Trojan horse,” a covert enemy.
Meanwhile, opposition parties, parliamentarians and the media are proposing a new attempt to evict (remove) Castillo or some other formula to get his retirement, a concern embraced by the former minister, who says his sacking is “the beginning from the end” for is President and that he will personally do everything for it.
rgh/mrs