LIVE: Minister of the Interior, César Astudillo, is questioned by Congress: these are the 27 questions he must answer

As agreed by the Board of Spokespersons, the parliamentary debate will last for two hours. This time will be distributed proportionally among the six parliamentary groups.

The interpellation motion It is promoted by Together for Peru.

First topic: citizen security and measures against crime

1. What specific measures have you implemented since the beginning of your administration to reduce crime rates, especially extortion, contract killings, and aggravated homicides?
2. What evaluation and control mechanisms are being applied to measure the effectiveness of the implemented strategies?
3. How are you coordinating with other State institutions to ensure a comprehensive and effective response to insecurity?
4. How much of the budget assigned to the Ministry of the Interior this year has been specifically allocated to citizen security programs and actions?
5. How is the participation of neighborhood associations and other community actors in crime prevention being promoted?
6. What awareness and education campaigns are being carried out to inform and protect the population against crime? What Work Plan and what actions have you implemented to protect neighbors from the increase in crime and citizen insecurity?
7. What are the internal measures that the PNP is carrying out within the framework of the Intersectoral Human Rights Mechanism, to strengthen prevention and protection work for human rights defenders given the numbers of victims of indigenous leaders and union leaders murdered by illegal mafias?
8. What international agreements or conventions are in force and is your sector applying to confront transnational organized crime?
9. What have been the tangible results to date in terms of reducing crime and improving public safety, especially in extortion, homicide and organized crime?
10. How many patrol cars and motor vehicles does the National Police of Peru have for patrolling? How many of these vehicles are inoperative? And what plan does it have to deregister inoperative vehicles?
11. Have you considered any effective measure to deregister 100% inoperable vehicles older than 15 years, which are located in police stations and special units?
12. During your administration, what are the results of police investigations into cases of kidnappings and disappearances? And what percentage of cases of kidnappings and disappearances are resolved?
13. Have those responsible for the murders of more than sixty environmental defenders murdered since 2012 and especially the latest murder of the indigenous leader Américo Pascual Tumisha Ashéninka leader, former head of the Onconashari native community who was attacked during a patrol when he surprised gangsters extracting copaiba oil in his territory, have already been identified, located and captured?
14. What is your relationship with the businesswoman Susana Liliana Saldaña Ramos, candidate for Mayor of Victoria for Popular Renewal, who has been mentioned in a police investigation in a case of quota collection (Los Pulpos de la Victoria case) in the Gamarra emporium.

Second issue: termination of Óscar Arriola’s position as general commander of the PNP (update: Last week the departure of Arriola and the appointment of Fredy López, as the new police chief, who took office this Thursday, September 16).

1. For what reason do you keep the General Commander of the National Police of Peru Manuel Oscar ARRIOLA in office, who has completely lost leadership over the members of the PNP, the trust of the government in power itself and of the population?
2. Do you believe that the General Commander of the National Police of Peru Manuel Oscar ARRIOLA is a suitable person to command the National Police of Peru? Having demonstrated his ineptitude in locating and capturing the fugitive Vladimir Cerrón, ineptitude in managing the budget for the purchase of equipment and modernization of the PNP and in addition to having criminal investigations?
3. What is the legal solution that your office has to remove the General Commander of the National Police of Peru Manuel Oscar Arriola from office?
4. Why has the General Commander of the National Police of Peru, Manuel Oscar Arriola, not been temporarily removed from office for his ineptitude in managing the public budget in expenses for police logistics and operations, causing harm to the police institution, not having executed a large part of the budget for the modernization of the Police, having returned said money to the Ministry of Economy to be used in the El Niño Phenomenon?

Third issue: questioned appointment

1. Do you acknowledge having appointed the citizen Magali Ella Meza Mundaca as General Director of Human Resources of the Ministry of the Interior, who has pending fiscal investigations, including the investigation carried out against her and others for corruption of officials when she was Head of Human Resources of the MINEDU where she was accused of being responsible for irregular hiring, an investigation where the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office of the Center together with the DIRCOCOR-PNP raided 25 properties in Lima, Callao and Huánuco among them is the address of this official?
2. Who recommended the investigated Magali Ella Meza Mundaca for the position of general director of Human Resources of the Ministry of the Interior?
3. How do you, as Minister of the Interior, guarantee the independence and autonomy of the Peruvian National Police in carrying out complex investigations, especially those that involve political figures or people close to the government?
4. How do you ensure that ongoing investigations, especially those of high complexity, are not interrupted or manipulated by political influences?

Fourth topic: on the credentials to be a minister:

1. Given the numbers of murders and injuries resulting from extortion and contract killings, which are now also gaining relevance in the field of construction and transportation, putting all citizens in danger, do you consider that it has been playing a significant role in the fight against the underworld and organized crime?
2. Do you consider that, upon assuming the portfolio of Minister of the Interior, as you are a parliamentarian, your appointment as minister is “illogical and incongruous”, since it breaks the separation of powers and converts your role as supervisor into judge and party?
3. Is it true that you, Mr. General Minister EP (r) César Astudillo Salcedo, have decided to surround yourself with former colleagues from the military institute in the Ministry of the Interior, placing in key positions (General Secretariat, the Intelligence Directorate and the Directorate of the Interior Government) extremely trusted retired army officers, with whom you have worked in your long career?
4. Do you consider that, as an Army Officer, are you prepared to assume a portfolio as sensitive as that of the Interior, where you do not have the specialization required by the position and are totally unaware of the police function?