The lawyer and former magistrate replaces Luis Barranzuela, who resigned this Tuesday after being accused of organizing a party at his home.
The former Peruvian Supreme Prosecutor Avelino Guillén, who was in charge of the accusation in the process that led in 2009 to a 25-year prison sentence against former President Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000) for crimes against humanity, swore this Thursday as new Minister of the Interior of Peru.
President Pedro Castillo took the oath from Guillén, 67, in a brief ceremony held at the Government Palace in Lima, which was released by official media.
The lawyer and former magistrate replaces Luis Barranzuela, who resigned this Tuesday after being accused of organizing a party at his home despite the restrictions imposed by his own office to face the pandemic.
The appointment was made shortly before the plenary session of Congress restarted this Thursday the debate on the request for confidence for the investiture of the cabinet chaired by the also leftist lawyer Mirtha Vásquez since last October 6.
Guillén actively supported the leftist Castillo during the campaign for the second electoral round that he disputed on June 6 with Keiko Fujimori, the daughter of the jailed ex-governor.
Despite being one of the most insistently mentioned characters to integrate the first cabinet of ministers that Castillo formed after assuming the Presidency, on July 28, he did not occupy any ministry and returned to private activity.
However, on September 16, while shopping at a supermarket in Lima, he was the victim of siege and insults by some people who called him a “terrorist” for having supported the leftist Castillo and denounced former President Fujimori.
After the incident, which was widely reported by local media, the former magistrate declared that he was a victim of “terruqueo” (as the term terrorist is called in Peru) and received insults “of greater caliber” and a threat “of physical aggression” .
At that time, he said that this was “an unsustainable situation” and filed a complaint with the National Police for the crime against honor and against freedom, having received threats of physical aggression.
Questioned predecessor
Guillén is a lawyer with studies at the Universidad San Martín de Porres, in Lima, who entered the Public Ministry in 1981 and in 1994 was appointed Superior Prosecutor of Lima, but achieved great recognition for his participation in the trial against Fujimori.
On this occasion, he replaces the questioned Barranzuela, who resigned after ensuring that he was a victim of “false accusations” after being denounced for organizing a party at his home despite the restrictions imposed by his own office to face covid-19.
Barranzuela was one of the ministers most questioned by the political opposition, which dominates Congress and insistently called for his dismissal, for having been a lawyer for the founder of Peru Libre, Vladimir Cerrón, in a corruption case.
He was also questioned about the dozens of sanctions he received when he was a policeman, as well as for previous statements in favor of stopping the eradication of the coca leaf in the country. (I)
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