Lima, Peru — A brand new scandal has rocked Peru’s Congress amid rising public discontent with the legislature, which ended 2024 with an approval score of simply 8%. Over the previous weeks, allegations of a prostitution ring inside Congress have emerged, prompting a preliminary investigation.
The murder of Andrea Vidal, a former parliamentary advisor who was gunned down by hitmen close to her residence in december, has uncovered the existence of an alleged prostitution ring. Jorge Torres, the previous head of Congress’s Authorized and Constitutional Workplace, is suspected of being one of many leaders of the ring.
What is that this new scandal about, and who’s allegedly concerned?
The Specialised Prosecutor’s Workplace for Human Trafficking has opened a preliminary investigation in opposition to Torres for the alleged crime of sexual exploitation of unidentified girls.
In accordance with a report aired on Beto a Saber, a program on Willax Televisión, the alleged prostitution ring was led by Torres, recognized by the alias “Coqui.” Torres is a member of the Alianza para el Progreso (Alliance for Progress) social gathering and a trusted ally of César Acuña, the social gathering chief and former presidential candidate.
The report contains testimony from a former congressional worker who said that Torres employed inexperienced girls to fill a number of positions. Nevertheless, these girls had been allegedly being recruited for sexual functions.
The report additionally implicates Andrea Vidal as a supposed confederate of Torres. Vidal was allegedly chargeable for recruiting girls to work as advisors or secretaries. The 28-year-old reportedly secured her personal place as a authorized advisor by a advice from former congressman Luis Valdés.
The report means that Vidal could have been focused within the assault as a result of, three months earlier, she was dismissed from her function following a dispute with Torres. It’s suspected that she was silenced attributable to her information of incriminating details about Torres’s felony actions inside Congress.
On December 13, 2024, simply three days after the assault, Congress President Eduardo Salhuana signed Torres’s dismissal.
Ongoing investigations
Along with the Specialised Prosecutor’s Workplace for Human Trafficking investigation, Congress’ Oversight Committee is conducting inquiries, led by Congressman Juan Burgos. The committee has requested safety digicam footage from the Legislative Palace.
“Within the Oversight Committee, we’re investigating 4 girls who could also be implicated in these allegations. We’ve requested video surveillance footage to confirm their actions inside Congress. (…) We have now additionally reviewed their social media profiles and located movies from one of many girls below investigation which might be inappropriate for minors,” Burgos told RPP Noticias.
The Beto a Saber program additionally revealed that in 2020, a girl accused Torres of sexual assault throughout former congressman Luis Valdés’ marketing campaign. The sufferer alleged she was drugged and assaulted. An audio recording aired throughout this system seems to point out Torres admitting to the accusation and providing compensation.
Up to now, Peru’s Public Ministry has not issued an official assertion on the formalization of an investigation into the alleged prostitution ring. Equally, the Ministry of Girls and Susceptible Populations has remained silent on the matter.
