President Alan García announced on Wednesday that the former head of Peru’s highest court, Víctor García Toma, will be appointed as the country’s new justice minister.
García Toma will be sworn in as Peru’s justice minister during a ceremony on Thursday, the office of the president said in a press release.
He replaces Aurelio Pastor, who was sacked on Tuesday amid a scandal involving the pardon of 77-year-old former TV mogul Jose Enrique Crousillat.
García Toma said he will focus on improving Peru’s justice system.
“We must begin a strong campaign to improve the justice system. It is a necessity,” state news agency Andina quoted García Toma as saying. “I know we can count on the effort and help from the bodies connected with the system.”
Reactions to García Toma’s appointment by opposition lawmakers was generally positive.
“It is a wonderful decision by the president. We believe that García Toma has all of the characteristics. He is an is an honorable person, impeccable, and he had did a great job in the Constitutional Tribunal, the general secretary of the Peru’s Popular Christian Pary, Raúl Castro, said.
“He is a serious and responsible person. I think that he qualifies as the justice minister and we hope he will recover the confidence in the ministry. In general, President Alan García made a good decision,” Carlos Bruce, a lawmaker with the Peru Possible party, was quoted as saying.
García Toma was born on Jun. 2, 1954 in Lima. He received a Masters degree in Constitutional Law from San Martin de Porres University.
He was the president of Peru’s highest court, the Constitutional Tribunal, from December 2005 to December 2006.
More recently, García Toma was the dean of law at the University of Lima, where he also taught constitutional law.
