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LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

Peru's President Alan García said that his government is evaluating a salary raise for Police and Armed Forces members currently in activity and for retired member as well.

He said that the raise will be according to merits, efforts and knowledge, and stressed that he is not worried about the strike announced for April.

“The country knows that the best is to reward those more capable, the ones with the best service records, the ones more committed to serve the their country,” Garcia told the press in Lima.

“We are to have talks with Ministers of Interior, Defense and Finance, and I am sure that we can discuss this idea and present it to the Congress as an alternative,” he said.

He also said that he is not worried about the strike announced for April 5, and added that the officers who take part in this should be punished, because “our Constitution does not allow them to take these kind of measures.”

(Photo: Efe)

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LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

Peru's Housing Ministry implemented new regulations establishing that local municipalities will have to verify that all construction projects in their district meet the specification set in the plans, reports Semana Económica.

From now on, local governments will have to inspect constructions after issuing the their respective authorizations.

If they discover any irregularities, or any violation to the current construction regulations, authorities can halt the works, or seize any equipment if necessary until fines are paid and the situation is corrected.

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LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

Peruvian Police is preparing a strike for April 5, demanding a significant raise in their wages, according to a police member identified as Edward George Casas Tiburcio.

In an interview aired by CPN Radio he said that the protest is being organized by the National Police Union, due to the “derisory” salaries they are currently being paid.

Casas Tiburcio explained that on April 5 the officers will not go to work, but stay home instead, and that police women are preparing a mobilization for March 8.

Defense Minister Rafael Rey rejected this announcement of a possible strike, and stressed that Peruvians citizens “should not be affected by such measures.”

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LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

Peru's government will investigate 291 complaints of medical malpractice, after local press ran the story of a 86 year old mand whose healthy leg was amputated in a hospital run by the social security, said Justice Minister Aurelio Pastor.

Pastor revealed in a press conference given in Lima that these cases took place between 2006 and 2009, and were declared as founded complaints by the Ombudsman's Office.

He made clear that this does not mean that medical malpractice has been proved, but that there will be an investigation; five prosecutors from Justice Ministry will be in charge.

Medical malpractice is considered as a criminal offence in Peru, and is penalized with a maximum of four years of jail.

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LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

Former Housing Minister Francis Allison and his wife, Carla Robbiano, were sentenced today in a Miami court for not reporting in US customs $50,250 they were carrying in cash, reports Peru21.

The sentence is only four days in jail, which is considered to be already served since he spent that time in prison when he was arrested in Miami airport.

He was also fined US $3,000. This sentence has been issued after the Allison and his wife pleaded guilty of all the charges (perjury, cash smuggling and failure to declare) in order to lessen the penalty. They can now return to Peru after paying the fine and costs of the trial.

The money that was seized from them will not be returned.

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LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

Peru's National Police has announced public demonstrations for Feb. 5 to demand the approval of a bill intended to pay them a bonus, said Jorge Rivas, of Conafap (Coordinator of Peru's Armed Forces and Police).

The bonus has been approved by the Congress, but it has not come into effect yet due to the refusal of the Finance Ministry.

Reportedly, the date has been chosen as a remembrance of Feb. 5, 1975, when an unprecedented massive police strike took place in Peru.

Francisco Piña, another representative from the Police unions, blamed Finance Minister Mercedes Araoz, who has said that the bonus is not viable.

“She does not present any alternative,” complains Piña.

Former Armed Forces Commander in Chief, Jorge Montoya, told the press that the only plan presented by the Minister is long-term and an already existing one.”

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LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

Peru's justice authorized Sunat (the national tax agency) to open the details of Romulo Leon's banking records, as well as to search into his stock-exchange records.

Romulo Leon, a former state minister and a member of the ruling APRA ruling party, was involved in the corruption scandal locally known as “petroaudios” or “petrogate.”

Criminal Court 46 based in Lima authorized the Sunat's Audit Division request to lift Leon's banking secrecy, in order to check for irregularities or imbalance of assets.

If irregularities are found, the Public Prosecutor's Office will file a lawsuit on Romulo Leon.

Romulo Leon had declared to Sunat an income of S/. 165,071 nuevos soles in 2008, a figure that does not match bank transactions made that year, that totaled S/. 870,000 nuevos soles, as reported by El Comercio.

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LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

Eight presumed terrorists were captured by Peru's police in the Apurimac-Ene River Valley (VRAE), reported Minister Octavio Salazar.

Minister Salazar confirmed that the group, conformed by six adults and two underage youngsters, had been detected attacking military bases in the area.

He said that the suspects were carrying guns, weapons, grenades and ammunition.

Thirteen intelligence agents arrested the suspects while they were on a road near Huamanguilla, Ayacucho.

The seized items were sent to Huanta, reported the police.

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LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

Peru’s government presented a bill to forbid the consumption of tobacco in all public places, as well as in private or public work centers.

The bill text includes bars, restaurants, clubs educative institutions and other public places, which must place a sign warning "Environment 100% Free of Tobacco Consumption”, and also establishes that all work centers will be tobacco-free.

It also mentions that Peru has 3.8 million smokers, and that according to recent studies, tobacco is the second most consumed drug in Peru, especially by young people.

The project has the signatures of Peru’s president Alan Garcia and the head of the Council of Ministers, Javier Velásquez Quesquén.

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LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

Peru's Congress approved the initiative of establishing a system of electronic surveillance by means of electronic putting ankle bracelets on defendants and convicted of certain offences, which would allow to restrict their movement within a determined area.

The main goal of the use of  ankle bracelets (which work on a GPS tracking device) is to alleviate the overcrowding of Peru's prisons, which is an issue yet to be solved.

The new rule was approved by 17 votes in favor and nine against, will benefit those currently under trial for offences whose sentences do not take more than six years of prison, and also those convicted who have already been in prison for more than eight years.

However, the debate continues: “this norm could benefit those convicted of rape, terrorism and corruption. We can't benefit those who stole millions to the country,” said lawmaker Janeth Cajahuanca.

Other lawmakers are concerned with the possibility that Vladimiro Montesinos, or Nicolas Hermoza Rios, both convicted of corruption, could be benefited with this system, since they have been in prison for more than 8 years.

Justice Minister Aurelio Pastor estimates that 2,000 defendants and convicted will start using these systems this year, and his sector will allocate S/.8 million soles (US $2.4 million dollars) on this purpose during the next two years.

“However, this is a lot cheaper than building a new prison, which would require S/. 80 million soles (US $24 million dollars)” pointed out Pastor.

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