Former Peru President Vizcarra avoids prison

A Peruvian judge denied a request for preventive detention of 18 months requested by the prosecution against former president and candidate for Parliament Martín Vizcarra Thursday, while he is being investigated for alleged crimes of corruption. Anti-corruption judge María Álvarez concluded that it was not necessary for Vizcarra to go to prison for the prosecution's investigation to be guaranteed.

She considered that the case was not at risk if the former president remained free. Vizcarra is running for Parliament and if he is elected legislator, he would have immunity. Álvarez imposed restrictions on the former head of state such as not being absent from his town without authorization, presenting himself to the authority when required, not communicating with the people involved in the investigation or contacting the entities involved, not talking to the media about the case and pay a bond of about 27,000 US dollars.

The prosecution announced that it will appeal the resolution for not being satisfied with the decision. "We continue in the electoral campaign and we continue as candidates for Congress with stronger than ever for this April 11 (election day)", said Vizcarra after the sentence was read. Prosecutor Germán Juárez is investigating Vizcarra for allegedly receiving 619,000 US dollars from two local construction companies while he was governor of a southern region seven years ago.

The prosecutor calculates that, if the prosecution is successful, Vizcarra, 57, must be sentenced to 34 years in prison for the crimes of aggravated collusion, passive bribery and conspiracy to commit a crime, the various types of variants of corruption punished in the Peruvian penal code.

On Tuesday night Juárez seized 21 properties belonging to Vizcarra to secure future payment of reparations. Juárez has attached alleged new evidence to the case, including a list of phone calls that Vizcarra made to the owners of local companies that built a hospital and an irrigation network in the arid Moquegua region, where Vizcarra was governor between 2011-2014.

Due to this investigation, last November Vizcarra was dismissed as president by Parliament, which used the investigation as the reason. Following his departure, Vizcarra announced that he was going to collaborate with the investigations and shortly after confirmed that he was going to run for legislator amid enormous popularity.

Vizcarra is the sixth former president to be suspected of corruption in almost 40 years, a crime that he himself promised to fight and skyrocketed his popularity among Peruvians disappointed in its leaders. Alan García (1985-1990 and 2006-2011), committed suicide before being arrested, while under investigation. Vizcarra, 57, had gained popularity among Peruvians for showing himself as a champion in the fight against corruption of power groups that included judges, legislators, prosecutors and businessmen who handled justice to favor each other.