Living in Peru : your everyday companion

LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

Good news for all Peruvian expats: Congress unanimously approved Peru's signing of The Hague Apostille Convention, which will significantly reduce the time, the money spent, and the paperwork needed to legalize documents at Peru's Foreign Relations Ministry's offices.

This international treaty will make it easier to legalize public documents for their use in Peru and abroad as well, eliminating two steps: consular authentication and legalization at Foreign Relations Ministry.

“Under this international treaty (The Hague Apostille), which has been signed by some 90 countries, the paperwork for public documents to be used in another country will be faster, recognizing its authenticity by means of an “apostille” (or seal) put onto the document that will certify it in any of the countries who have signed this treaty,” said congresswoman Gabriela Perez del Solar.

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LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

Police captured two suspects who could be related to the death of young accountant Maria Paola Vargas Ortiz, who died two weeks ago.

According to a RPP Noticias information, the Police has detained two members of "Aguante" from Surco, a group of supporters of Universitario de Deportes at Trinchera Norte.

Ronny Ramos Pérez, aka "Bolón" a member of this group, has been accused of pushing her out of the bus, with the aim of stealing her iPod and cell phone.

National Police hasn't revealed the identity of these individuals aiming not to disturb the investigations.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigation is looking forward the capture of 'Bolon', who has time until Friday noon to go to the police to answer the accusations made against him.

Meanwhile, lawyer Manuel Frisancho has asked Defensoría del Pueblo and the Archbishopric of Lima for guarantees for his client, because he is afraid Ramos could be taken under arrest as soon as he goes to the police.

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LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

Peru's Internal Affairs Minister, Octavio Salazar, reported that the Presidents of the major local soccer clubs agreed to a census and register their regular fans within 15 days.

In Peru, most clubs give free tickets to organized groups of their regular fans, but that has now become and issue since most violent hooligans come from these groups: but now clubs also agreed on not handing out more free tickets to these groups unless they have previously registered all their members.

Salazar had a meeting with the leaders of several soccer clubs, and discussed about alternatives of solutions to the violence generated by “barras bravas,” which is the name that violent soccer hooligan gangs have in Peru.

The controversy about these hooligans is in the center of public debate after the recent death of the young accountant Paola Vargas Ortiz, who was reportedly attacked by a group of hooligans.

Salazar also announced that video surveillance cameras are to be installed in all the stadiums where the local tournaments are held, to easily locate the people that start violence during the matches.

Meanwhile, Ronny Ramos, aka 'Bozo', who has been accused of being primarily responsible for Paola Vargas' death, has reportedly left the country.

His lawyer, Manuel Frisancho, reported to a local TV station that Ramos “will soon return to Peru to prove his innocence.”

Have other topics you'd like to see in our news section? If you or someone you know would like to contribute a news article to Living in Peru, whether it's translated or based on a personal investigation, send it to editor@livinginperu.com.

LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

Peru's Transports and Communications Minister, Enrique Cornejo, declared publicly in favor of reducing to zero the legally permitted levels of of alcohol in blood for drivers, because “the intake of drinks, even if it's only a single glass, affects the reflexes and concentration when driving.”

The Minister said that nowadays the international tendency aims to reduce these levels to zero.

“Here in Peru the reduction is being done gradually, but please, let's put on the table all the scientific evidence that explain this situation, "he said.

He recomended taking into account that some people are more prone to suffer the alcohol effects due to their age, to obesity or any other health condition.

'The question is. why taking the risk? We want to ensure our life, "he said.

Have other topics you'd like to see in our news section? If you or someone you know would like to contribute a news article to Living in Peru, whether it's translated or based on a personal investigation, send it to editor@livinginperu.com.

LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

Presidents of professional soccer clubs, congressmen and representatives the Internal Affairs Ministry will meet on Monday (November 2nd) to discuss on the soccer hooligans problematic, announced Minister Octavio Salazar.

Salazar said he feels sorry about young Paola Vargas' death last Saturday, who reportedly was a victim of a hooligans' attack.

He added that he is in favor of creating a register of soccer fans who attend the games.

"The National Police and me personally as a human being feel very indignant about this incident; I've talked with Paola's father and he is being informed about the actions being taken," the Minister said.

Salazar pointed out that the main cause of this kind of disorder is within the society and the families themselves.

Have other topics you'd like to see in our news section? If you or someone you know would like to contribute a news article to Living in Peru, whether it's translated or based on a personal investigation, send it to editor@livinginperu.com.

LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

Peru's Justice Minister, Aurelio Pastor, announced that today he will present  today the signatures of 55,000 Peruvian citizens, requesting a referendum for the modification of the Constitution.

Among the changes proposed, the most important one is probably the one that would turn the mandatory vote to an optional vote.

Pastor told the press that actually they have collected more than 100,000 signatures, but only half of them have been processed at present.

Once the Elections National Jury (JNE) verifies the validity of the signatures, the project will be sent to Peru's Congress, which will have 90 days to evaluate it and either approve it or reject it.

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LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

Peru's Government decided not to distribute the morning-after pill in any public health facility, and its official position is “to respect the decision of the Constitutional Court, while we wait for clarifications,” said yesterday Peru's Prime Minister Javier Velásquez Quesquen.

According to witnesses quoted by El Comercio, Health Minister Oscar Ugarte explained the Cabinet details on the clarification request his sector submitted to the Constitutional Court (TC), and highlighted the impact that implementing TC's sentence would have on public reproductive health policies.

El Comercio also says that President Alan García indicated that the issue could not be submitted to the IACHR because that would make a case of "the State against the State," and expressed that “the government must respect the institutions; the final decision is the court's."

According to participants, the issue ended there, and nobody expreesed his personal position on the morning-after pill.

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LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

Peru's Prime Minister, Javier Velásquez Quesquén, told the press that Peru will not go into consultation with the Inter American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) regarding the Constitutional Court's (TC) ruling that prohibits free distribution of the so-called called "morning-after pill."

He said that the Cabinet agreed to support the request for clarifications submitted by the Ministry of Health to the TC on how that sentence that must be met, since there is a resolution issued in 2006, which states Health Minister can implement public policies distributing the pill.

However, Velasquez Quesquén reminded that any citizen or organization may file a request to IACHR, asking if the morning-after pill is abortifacient or not.

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LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

Family and relatives of Maria Paola Vargas Ortiz (24), who died last weekend after an alleged attack from soccer hooligans, asked the witnesses of the incident to go to the National Police and testify, in order to find the people responsible for this crime.

According to some press reports, a massive bunch of hooligans got onto a public bus and pushed Maria Paola out of it, making her fall down into the pavement.

She suffered a severe blunt trauma on her head and died several hours later --of brain hemorrhage-- at a public hospital.

"I know there must be witnesses of this crime. As a father, I ask them to please go to the Police and provide this information; we cannot be indifferent at these moments," said Humberto Vargas (Paola's father) to a local TV program.

He also told the press that according to his daughter's wishes, the family proceeded to donate her organs once cerebral death was confirmed.

Local soccer hooligans' violence is a quite a big problem in Peru, and authorities seem yet unable to take care of this situation.

Have other topics you'd like to see in our news section? If you or someone you know would like to contribute a news article to Living in Peru, whether it's translated or based on a personal investigation, send it to editor@livinginperu.com.

LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

Peru's SUNAT (Tax Agency) reported local soccer club Universitario de Deportes to Prosecutors' Office, on tax fraud charges, according to local press.

Last night, a local TV program revealed that Universitario's President, Gino Pinasco, Vice President, Jaime Leon Pallete, and treasurer, Juan Carlos Noli, have failed to pay the club's withholding taxes between January 2008 and August 2009.

They are also accused of embezzlement of the club's funds, transferring S/. 5.5 million new soles (US$ 1.9 million), to "Consortium of Sport Peru SAC," which was created by themselves.

Jaime Leon Pallette said “the one who has to explain the technical details of this trust if the treasurer, Juan Carlos Noli.”

Universitario de Deportes facing the danger of falling into insolvency, because SUNAT has listed it amongst the biggest debtors in the country.

Have other topics you'd like to see in our news section? If you or someone you know would like to contribute a news article to Living in Peru, whether it's translated or based on a personal investigation, send it to editor@livinginperu.com.