Peru’s Interior Minister Walter Ortiz Acosta resigned Thursday from his post, just a month and a half after being sworn in, amid questions over interference with ongoing investigations into the appointed president, Dina Boluarte, and her brother Nicanor Boluarte.
Ortiz Acosta presented his letter of resignation on Thursday. According to local media, he would be replaced by Deputy Minister of Internal Order, Juan José Santivañez, who would swear in office on the afternoon of this day.
Last Tuesday, the official publicly backed the decision to remove police support for the Power’s Task Force against Corruption (Eficcop). He assumed responsibility for this measure against that team, which investigates Nicanor Boluarte for leading an alleged criminal organization and trafficking in influences against the State.
PERU: The General of the National Police in retirement, Walter Ortiz Acosta, presented his letter of resignation from the position of Minister of the Interior.
The resignation comes after he defended the deactivation of the police support group to the Special Prosecutors’ Team against the… pic.twitter.com/KCQlas1z42
Portal News (Inforportalnews)May 16, 2024
The brother and lawyer of the designated president, Mateo Castañeda, were arrested during searches carried out on 10 May. About twenty more people were also arrested in the context of a court case called “The Shadow Waykis.”
The next day, the Peruvian Prosecutor’s Office announced that it was opening proceedings against the de facto president and Ortiz Acosta for withdrawing police support for the aforementioned anti-corruption group. He charged them with alleged perpetrators of the offences of personal cover-up and abuse of authority.
After hearing the decision of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, Ortiz Acosta reacted and criticized the interim prosecutor, Juan Carlos Villena, who demanded that police support for the Eficcop be restored.
Retired general of the Peruvian National Police, Ortiz Acosta is the fifth minister of this portfolio during Boluarte’s term. He took over the portfolio on April 1.
This artice has been translated after first appearing in TeleSurTv