Peruvian television host Magaly Medina said on her live program that a phone number used to send her extortion threats is registered to a man living in Trujillo, hours after former professional footballer Jefferson Farfán publicly demanded she retract on-air claims tying him to the case.
Farfán, nicknamed "la Foquita," used his social media accounts to flatly reject any suggestion that he was linked to the threats Medina says she received, in which the sender demanded a payment of one million dollars from the journalist.
Farfán Demands a Retraction
The controversy began after Medina's legal defense indicated that only Farfán and a small number of other people knew certain details related to a court case that were later mentioned by the person who allegedly sent the extortion messages. Farfán responded with a forceful statement denying any responsibility.
Farfán said he categorically rejected any link between himself and the threats and extortion messages Medina said she had received. He said he had never ordered, coordinated or taken part, directly or indirectly, in any act intended to threaten her, pursue her or put her safety or that of her family at risk.
The former footballer also called on Medina to publicly withdraw the statements connecting him to the threatening messages, making clear that if she did not, he would consider taking further legal action.
Farfán's statement came at around 10:00 p.m., only minutes after a new edition of Medina's program, "Magaly TV: La Firme," had begun airing. Farfán played for Peru's national team and for European clubs including PSV Eindhoven and Schalke 04 during his professional career.
Medina Reveals Details of the Phone Number
Rather than continuing to press her accusations against Farfán after his statement aired, Medina instead turned to explaining where the phone number that sent her the extortion messages had come from.
Medina said she had so many followers that some of them had carried out their own investigation and shared it with her. She described it as a very quick inquiry that determined the number used to send her one of the messages was registered to a specific person, though she stressed this did not prove that person was actually the one using the phone, since it could have been stolen or cloned.
During the broadcast, Medina displayed a screenshot she said came from Osiptel, Peru's telecommunications regulatory body, showing the registered details and a photograph of the man linked to the number. His eyes were covered in the image, and Medina did not disclose his name or other personal information, though she did state where the phone was associated.
Medina said they were not far from the truth at all, repeating that the man lived in Trujillo and that the phone used to write to her was from that city.
Comparison to Threats Against Engerberth Tapia
Medina also drew a comparison between the messages she received and threats previously sent to Peruvian singer Engerberth Tapia, saying she noticed similarities in the tone used in both cases.
She said what surprised her was that the threats Tapia had received, like the one sent to her, were written in a peculiar tone, one of politeness and good manners that she said characterized certain criminal gangs already identified by most people.
Based on the information presented during the broadcast, the identity linked to the phone number points to Trujillo, while Farfán reportedly does not reside in that city. Medina's report did not establish that the origin or registration of a phone number alone determines who actually sent the messages or who is behind the threats.
