Peru’s judiciary has taken into custody President Pedro Castillo, 53, who was ousted by parliament over an alleged coup attempt – initially for a limited period until Tuesday. The Supreme Court announced this via Twitter on Thursday after a hearing. Accordingly, Castillo is being investigated for suspicion of a rebellion and conspiracy.
During the hearing, the ex-head of state only gave simple yes or no answers. His lawyer, former Justice Minister and Chief of Cabinet Aníbal Torres, 79, argued that Castillo had been arbitrarily forced out of the presidency.
Parliament sensed a coup
The prosecution of the South American country sees Castillo as an attack on the constitutional order. Prosecutor Marco Huamán argued at the hearing that the detention was necessary to determine who else participated in the alleged uprising and to prevent Castillo from fleeing to another country.
With the dissolution of the Congress, the left-wing politician wanted to prevent a vote of no confidence in parliament – but both his own cabinet and the opposition sensed a coup and made the former village school teacher appear.
Escape to Mexico failed
Castillo was arrested Wednesday. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (69) said the next day that he still wanted to seek refuge in the Mexican embassy: “He called the office and asked them to let me know he was on his way to the embassy.”
Although his government was willing to grant him asylum, Castillo was unable to reach the Mexican diplomatic mission in the Peruvian capital Lima.
Meanwhile, former Vice President Dina Boluarte (60) was sworn in as Peru’s first head of state. (bab/SDA)