MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Peru's President picks new Secretary of Government

Jaico's choice signals Castillo's further distancing from the Marxist Peru Libre Party.

Peru's President Pedro Castillo Terrones has appointed Carlos Jaico as Secretary of the Government Palace to replace Bruno Pacheco, who was forced to resign amid a series of corruption scandals for which he is now under investigation.

”What I have seen is that he (Pedro Castillo) has a fairly high democratic spirit, above all respect for the institutions and is calmly and calmly awaiting the results of the JNE,” Jaico had told the media during the campaign which brought Castillo to the presidency.

At that time, Jaico said his meeting with Castillo has taken place in a personal capacity and that he had discussed the country's political and economic situation with the then candidate.

Pacheco has been linked to two alleged acts of corruption. One is of influence peddling in the process of promotions of high ranking officers within the Armed Forces and in which former Defense Minister Walter Ayala is also under investigation.

The second case involved a series of Telegram chats where Pacheco reportedly pressed the head of the Customs and Tax Bureau (Sunat) Luis Enrique Vera Castillo to favor companies and people close to him.

Pacheco was also found to keep US $ 20,000 in cash in his private bathroom in the Government Palace, according to sources from the teams investigating his alleged involvement in cases of corruption. Asked about the origin of that money, Pacheco claimed it stemmed from his savings and his gross monthly salary of 25,000 soles (about US $ 6,200) which he had been earning for just over three months.

After Pacheco resigned last Friday, his office was searched in connection with the case involving the Army and Air Force chiefs who had resigned and singled him out for traffic of influence.

Despite his resignation, Pacheco held his post until Tuesday when his successor was appointed. Jaico is a law scholar and a former congressional candidate for the center-right Alianza Para el Progreso (APP) party, which has been regarded by many as yet another sign on Castillo's part that he was distancing himself from the Marxist Peru Libre alliance under which he was elected.

Peru Libre Chairman Vladimir Cerrón had warned before Jaico's appointment that if it finally happened, it “would generate irreversible popular unrest.”

Cerrón could not run for the presidency due to a prior conviction for corruption. The alliance between Castillo and Cerrón lasted barely two months, until the head of state expelled seven die-hard Peru Libre ministers from his cabinet and favor a more moderate series of appointees.