More than seven months after a magnitude-8 earthquake rocked southern Peru, authorities from the hard-hit Ica Department found a reportedly large quantity of donations hoarded in the house of a local mayor.
According to daily El Comercio, authorities under the orders of prosecutor Ángel Mendoza Suppo confiscated food products, clothes, blankets, shoes, foldable beds, tents, and tools in the home of Percy Cabrera, the mayor of San Francisco de Sangayaico, a town in the neighboring department of Huancavelica.
The location of Cabrera is reportedly unknown, however his legal representative, Walter Llerena, chalked up the cache of hoarded relief to a misunderstanding.
“Information about the destination of these donations will be provided in the next few days,” said Llerena.
Accusations of government mismanagement and profiteering have tarnished the reconstruction effort following the Aug. 15 earthquake, which killed hundreds and left thousands more homeless.
