Living in Peru : your everyday companion

Living in Peru
Israel J. Ruiz

With several cases of people opening fire in public places such as nightclubs and even parks while under the influence of alcohol, Peru's congress unanimously approved a new punishment for those that use guns under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs.

The congressional justice commission has proposed that people found using firearms under the influence of these substances receive between one and five years in prison.

In the case that the aggressor kills another person (involuntary manslaughter), sentences range between three and five years in prison while a sentence between two and four years will be given to those that wound innocent bystanders.

Juan Carlos Eguren, head of the justice commission assured he was satisfied with the new punishments, affirming that handling a firearm while under the influence of alcohol endangered the lives of other citizens.

Authorities affirmed that a person who was in possession of a firearm should be sober and if he/she were drunk, they should not carry the weapon.

Congressional representatives compared the act of carrying a gun while under the influence of alcohol or illegal substances to driving drunk.

Living in Peru
Israel J. Ruiz

Undercover police detained thirteen people suspected of charging Peruvian students up to $1,200 to help them cheat on the admissions exam to get into the National University of Callao.

To lure students willing to pay their price, criminals distributed thousands of fliers at the university itself and at a university preparatory academy in San Juan de Lurigancho.

Claiming their method would give students the keys to get into the university and guarantee their success, criminals appealed to many. To make the offer more enticing, students did not have to pay until after they had been admitted.

Colonel Pedro Bailón, head of the fraud investigations department for the national police was called after university heads heard rumors of the illegal methods being offered to students.

The first step taken by police investigators was to respond to one of the ads, which had an e-mail address and a phone number. While the suspects did not answer e-mails sent to them by police, they did receive calls to give information.

Undercover officers met with the heads of the gang and reported they had been instructed to buy platform shoes, a loose long-sleeve shirt and pants. Criminals fitted the clothes to meet their needs.

Holes were made in the platform shoes to hide cellular phones and avoid metal detectors while shirts were taken to tailors to have the wire of a handsfree device run up the shirts sleeve and into its cuff.

Furthermore, a special pouch was made at the bottom of the shirt to hide a cellular phone.

It was reported that criminals were given the test answers by one student taking the exam. They, in turn, gave the answers to the rest of their "clients".

Police arrested over a dozen students cheating on the exam in July.

Living in Peru
Israel J. Ruiz

What can seem to be a simple and innocent banking operation can turn into the beginning of a nightmare, said reporters for El Comercio newspaper when explaining that bands of criminals in Lima were targeting specific people coming out of banks or using ATM machines.

This was the case of three people that lost their lives in the districts of Chorrillos and La Victoria this past week after thieves mugged them.
 
As opposed to thieves who randomly rob people on the street, Peru's national police have confirmed there are several gangs operating in Lima which study and choose their "marks" at banks and outside financial establishments.

One criminal chooses a person who has made a large withdrawal and notifies accomplices outside the bank who follow the mark on motorcycles or in cars, said police, explaining this was the most common way thieves chose their victims.

According to police statistics, at least twelve of these types of robberies are reported every month.

While the national police have reported that they have arrested the members of twenty-three of these gangs, it is believed that another twenty are still in full operation.

These gangs are from Callao, San Juan de Lurigancho and Surquillo, said police, stating the gangs targeted people at Plaza Lima Sur and Megaplaza shopping centers.

Furthermore, it was reported that criminals looked for victims carrying between 8,000 and 40,000 soles.

Reporters Without Borders today called on the authorities to react rapidly to assist journalist Americo Zambrano (right), of the weekly magazine Caretas, who has been repeatedly targeted by death threats since 9 September 2008.

The "warnings" appear to be linked to recent revelations made by the 30-year-old journalist about alleged links between the powerful Sanchez Paredes family and Mexican drug cartels. Zambrano, an investigative specialist, had also during the same period exposed a case of corruption within the army high command.

"Americo Zambrano's plight does appear to be taken seriously at the highest police level and we are pleased to see it," the worldwide press freedom organisation said.

"Nevertheless, we urge the authorities not to neglect any avenue of inquiry that could explain the threats, in particular the case he revealed relating to senior army officers. We also express our solidarity with Americo Zambrano and his magazine and hope that this investigation will rapidly bring results", it added.

Zambrano, who lives and works in Lima told Reporters Without Borders that he received the most recent threatening phone call on 15 September, when a male voice, the same as on the previous calls the journalist thought, told him, "Die, damn you".

The previous evening the same caller had asked if he "liked to go for walks", suggesting that he was being followed. Overnight on 11 September, the journalist found his dog dead from poisoning at the entrance to his home.

Zambrano received an international award from the Press and Society Institute of Peru (IPYS) a continental Lima-based press freedom organisation, for his investigation into alleged links between the Sanchez Parades family and the Mexican drug cartels.

The journalist strongly suspects that the threats come from this clan, whose representatives have also laid a complaint against him for "fraud". Although he believed his report into a corruption case naming the General Commander of the Peruvian military, Edwin Donayre, could also be behind the campaign of intimidation.

National police chief, General Octavio Salazar, has personally promised Zambrano that an investigation would be opened. Police appear to place more weight on the drug-trafficking lead. Journalist and editor of Caretas, Marco Zileri, is due to make a formal complaint during the week.

News source: CNW Telbec

The governments of Peru and Colombia will launch this Monday in Europe a concerted awareness campaign to combat drug trafficking and use with the aim of achieving greater cooperation from the European Union.

Both countries will hold a photo exhibition in Portugal on Monday, September 22, as part of efforts to raise awareness about the need to combat drug trafficking in a coordinated manner.

To this end, the president of the National Commission for Development and a Life without Drugs (Devida), Romulo Pizarro, and Colombian vice president Francisco Santos will open this exhibition in Lisbon, Portugal, where the European Drug Observatory is located.

This photo museum, which is dedicated to the fight against drugs, represents the countries’ first binational effort made under the principle of "Shared Responsibility".

News source: ANDINA

Living in Peru
Israel J. Ruiz

The owners of an apartment complex known as Residencial Bolivar, which is made up of 135 apartments in four buildings, will have to pay $6,000 for the evidence necessary to prove they were cheated by the construction company that built their homes.

Those living at the complex, which is located in the Limean district of Pueblo Libre, claim their walls are rapidly deteriorating and cracking because of bad construction work and a faulty structure.

Residents have pressed charges against Berric S.A., the company that was in charge of construction work and gave them their homes just three years ago.

While a study has been carried out by Peru's University of Engineering, stating the buildings have defective structures, another study done by the country's College of Engineers claims the building is fine.

Because of this difference in opinions, neighbors must pay $6,000 to have a third study done to prove or disprove they were sold buildings in bad conditions.

Another conflict in opinions can be seen when analyzing the fact that the Municipality of Pueblo Libre approved the project once it was completed.

The country's Civil Defense Institute claims the buildings are inhabitable, however.

Living in Peru
Israel J. Ruiz

Attorney General Gladys Echaiz Ramos, announced on Wednesday evening that an investigation would begin to find the cause of death of patients that died in state hospitals while doctors were on strike.

Echaiz Ramos explained that after investigations were finished, it would be determined if doctors, who began a national strike on Monday, were responsible for the death of several patients.

She affirmed legal punishments would be placed on doctors if they were found guilty.

Furthermore, the Attorney General ordered that state prosecutors randomly and without notice visit health institutions and their emergency rooms to make sure patients were not being denied help.

Doctors could be prosecuted for homicide if it is found that patients had died because doctors refused to assist them when they arrived to the state institutions, explained Luis Lamas Puccio, a criminal lawyer.

Patients complain

"There are no doctors. I had an appointment today but they rescheduled it for October and now I don't know what I'm going to do," said María Notilia Sánchez, an elderly woman interviewed by El Comercio reporters.

"I have a cardiac problem which can't be operated, that's why I urgently need my medicine," explained Sánchez as she left Rebagliati Hospital.

It was reported that in Lima alone, 7,000 patients were not seen on Wednesday and that over 25,000 have not been assisted since the strike began.

While emergency rooms are operating 100 percent, hospital drug stores are closed and operations are being postponed.

According to EsSalud, the drug store in Rebagliati serves approximately 2,000 patients per day.

Furthermore, it was reported that 382 operations take place in Peru, not taking into account emergencies.

Living in Peru
Israel J. Ruiz

Luis Huamancaja Vargas, a judicial worker for a Peruvian court in the Limean district of Ate Vitarte, was arrested on Wednesday evening after police caught him receiving a bribe.

Huamancaja Vargas was caught receiving over one hundred soles from David Huamann, a litigant involved in a child custody battle.

Huamann was attempting to pay the judicial worker for confidential documents pertaining to the trial.

Authorities from Peru's Judicial Control Office (OCMA) were present along with prosecuting attorneys when police arrested Huamancaja in his car, a red Toyota, at the intersection of La Cultura and Los Virreyes avenues in the district of Santa Anita.

It was reported that Huamancaja was immediately fired and will be prosecuted for corruption.

Living in Peru
Israel J. Ruiz

Attorneys representing Peru's housing ministry are pressing charges against twenty-eight people found illegally using government bonds that had been issued to help citizens rebuild their homes in areas affected by the August 2007 earthquake.

According to Housing Minister Enrique Cornejo, there is evidence that authorities and citizens, who do not qualify to use the 6,000-sol bonds have been taking advantage of them to build bigger homes or second homes.

Among those to be prosecuted is the mayor of the Limean district of Chilca, Pablo Nalda Quiróz along with members of his staff and municipal workers.

In addition, a Peruvian bank has pressed charges against six construction-supply distribution centers in the same district for colluding with earthquake victims to give them cash instead of material to build homes.

An investigation has been opened to evaluate all of the distribution centers working in areas affected by the earthquake, said Minister Cornejo.

The mayor of Chilca has affirmed that he and his office are being blamed to take attention away from corruption taking place in Pisco.

"In Pisco, people are negotiating their bonds and no one says anything. On the other hand, here (Chilca), where everyone is using their bonds appropriately, we are being accused of giving them to people that don't qualify," said Nalda.