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Peru congressman Isaac Serna, in charge of the congressional commission investigating presumed acts of corruption during the Toledo government

(LIP-wb) -- After the controversial announcement of Peru's ex-First Lady Eliane Karp not to return to the country until 2011 when President Alan Garcia's tenure comes to an end, Peruvian congressman Isaac Serna, chairman of the commission that investigates presumed irregularities and acts of corruption during the government of Alejandro Toledo, said today that this declaration is an "open challenge" against Peruvian justice.

Apparently, Eliane Karp de Toledo made this statement in a U.S. newspaper "Atlanta Latino",
(www.atlantalatino.com), according to unconfirmed sources.

“This declaration doesn't seem reasonable to me because all civil employee or ex- government officials must clarify the committed cases of corruption during their administration, whether they have a direct or indirect connection with these cases”, Serna expressed.

He stated that if Karp does not follow the citations and appear before the commission he presides over, he will request that the ex-First Lady is brought back by decree or force and if that doesn't work, an international arrest warrant will be filed.

“The prerogatives that Congress gives us are clear. We are going to respectfully ask people to testify on presumed acts of corruption, but (...) if these witnesses do not comply, we will use a decree, or force, or order their arresst”, he explained.

He maintained that Karp's words not only are a challenge for Congress, but also for other institutions that investigate the transparency in the handling of public resources, like the Judicial Power and the "Contraloria", Peru's government control and supervision organ.

Alejandro Toledo is currently in Atlanta, Georgia, where it was announced that ex-U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Nicholas Ardito Barletta (Panama), and Toledo will head the Carter Center's mission of electoral observers in the general elections of Nicaragua on November 5th.