Peru’s president survives impeachment bid

By Santiago Serna

BOGOTA, Colombia (AA) - Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski has survived an impeachment vote following a 14-hour marathon vote session by lawmakers.

Kuczynski was able to convince lawmakers he was not involved in corruption with one of South America’s largest construction companies that is at the center of a major graft scheme in Brazil.

In the end, Congress voted 79-19 late Thursday to keep Kuczynski in power. There were 21 abstentions.

Luis Galarreta, who heads Congress, announced the impeachment request “has not been approved”.

Opposition parties requested the impeachment after revealing a string of million-dollar payments from the Brazilian construction giant, Odebrecht, to consulting companies linked to Kuczynski between 2005 and 2006, while he was a shareholder and served as Minister of State of Peru.

The impeachment request demanded lawmakers “decline the permanent moral inability of the President of the Republic, citizen Pedro Pablo Kuczynski”. It was based on policies found in Article 115 of Peru’s Political Constitution.

To help prove his innocence, Kuczynski asked judicial authorities to lift the bank privacy policies of companies where he has shares so that he could certify he never received the alleged bribes.

Presidential impeachment has occurred just three times in Peru’s history, with the last coming in 2000 against former President Alberto Fujimori.

The U.S. Justice Department contends Odebrecht paid bribes of approximately $29 million to public Peruvian officials.

*Daniela Mendoza contributed to this note