Víctor Piñán, deputy and spokesperson for the Obras bloc in Peru's Congress, questioned the silence of Congress president Miguel Torres following the theft of an institutional cell phone from his office, in an interview with La República.
Piñán said he sent documents about the incident a week ago to both Torres and to oficial mayor Giovanni Forno, and that he has not received any response so far. He said the lack of a single reply causes him great indignation and, he added, surprise. He said the matter was being handled as though it were being brushed aside, as if it were not serious.
Two National Police officers arrived at the Congress building on Monday to begin the legal investigation. The officers are trying to determine what other items may have been taken from the affected offices. Piñán said that besides the phone, an advisor on his team reported vitamins missing after workers hired for renovation work entered the building.
Piñán avoided directly attributing the theft to political reprisal, saying he preferred to keep an objective position on the matter. As an alternative explanation, he suggested that workers hired by third parties for the building's renovation could be responsible. He said no one could point with certainty to a culprit.
Piñán said the problems are not limited to his office. He said the entire Obras bloc faces the same infrastructure shortcomings despite the budget set aside to prepare the chambers for the new bicameral Congress.
Infrastructure problems in Obras offices
Piñán said the bloc's offices lack adequate electrical installations and enough network points, adding that computers are without internet access because the connection cannot be extended to them. He said the nearest network point is too far from some rooms for the cable to reach.
He also said the outdated equipment frustrates staff. Several computers are five or six years old and have already had a second or third owner before arriving at the current offices, he said, adding that equipment of that age needs to be replaced.
Space is another problem, Piñán said. His office as spokesperson measures 60 square meters and houses 11 workers, not all of whom have their own computer. He said neither the oficial mayor nor the Congress presidency showed interest in learning the real needs of deputies before assigning the spaces.
Office assignments handled by Junta Preparatoria
The assignment of offices in the new Congress was handled by the Junta Preparatoria, a body Piñán said was made up of representatives from Fuerza Popular, Renovación Popular and Buen Gobierno. He said the Obras bloc did not take part in that decision, adding that no one from Obras was included to request office space, which he linked to the smaller offices the bloc ended up receiving.
