Corruption, Law & Justice

Former deputy justice minister arrested for offering bribe

The former deputy justice minister during President Alan Garcia’s current term has been arrested for trying to bribe a civil servant in the Production Ministry, daily El Comercio reported.

Gerardo Castro was arrested on Wednesday when he offered to pay $10,000 to Alejandro Rios, an advisor of Peru’s deputy fishing minister, in an attempt to extend fishing licenses for three boats.

The advisor informed his superiors and Production Minister Jorge Villasante informed authorities of the incident. In total, five people were arrested in the case.

Castro was appointed deputy justice minister in July 2009 and held the position until March 2010. He resigned from his post saying that he would run in last October’s elections for the regional president of Lima department.

However, according to El Comercio, Castro was removed from his position by then justice Minister Victor Garcia Toma, who was looking to remove members of his predecessor, Aurelio Pastor’s, inner circle following the scandal over the pardon of former TV mogul Jose Enrique Crousillat.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*