Peru approved the abolition of parliamentary immunity: the Supreme Court will judge sitting congressmen

The plenary session of the Peruvian Congress finally approved the waiver of parliamentary immunity, a privilege seen by much of the bourgeoisie in recent years as a mechanism of impunity for various legislatures.

The end of this immunity was supported by 103 votes in favor, 14 against and one abstention, at the first session of the plenary session of the Peruvian Congress this year.

This was the second vote to implement this initiativeSince it is a reform that amends Article 93 of the Peruvian Constitution, approval was required in two different sessions of the Legislative Assembly.

Among the fourteen votes against the waiver of parliamentary immunity there were eleven from the Fujimori Popular Force party, a formation that, along with its leader Keiko Fujimori, was investigated for alleged money laundering in the previous election campaigns of former President Alberto Fujimori’s daughter (1990-2000).

They also voted against other congressmen facing investigations for alleged corruption, such as former Comptroller Edgar Alarcón, and human rights violations, such as former interim president Manuel Merino, who was accused of suppressing the mass demonstrations that forced him to expel. act as president transition last November.

CONGRESS MEMBERS IN THE HANDS OF JUDGES

From the moment this constitutional amendment is published in the official journal, Common crimes committed by members of Congress in the exercise of their mandate are under the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court from Peru.

Those crimes committed by parliamentarians before starting their legislative work will be in charge of the ordinary criminal courts.

This implies the lifting of the parliamentary committee to waive immunity, a group that in many cases had become the shield of several congressmen based on the political alliances within the chamber.

DOES NOT INFLUENCE OTHER HIGHER OFFICIALS

Without being certified, the spokesman for the parliamentary group of the ultra-nationalist party Unión Por el Perú (UPP), Jose Vega, regretted that the reform did not also lift the immunity of other senior officials such as the President of the Republic and Ministers, something that was considered last July.

The abolition of parliamentary immunity was part of the reform of political and judicial institutions promoted by the former president Martin Vizcarra (2018-2020), who even said it could call a referendum on this issue due to the reluctance many congressmen showed to lose that protection.

(With information from EFE)

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