MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Peruvian court to rule on habeas corpus requested by Castillo in 10 days

Peru's lawmakers will vote on Castillo's impeachment Monday

A Peruvian Court Friday started weighing the habeas corpus writ requested by President Pedro Castillo Terrones in a move to quash charges of treason filed against him after he admitted granting Bolivia access to the Pacific Ocean was possible.

Justice Juan Torres, of the Ninth Constitutional Court of the Superior Court of Lima, Friday heard the oral arguments of the procedural parties and vowed to rule on the issue within the next ten days, in accordance with Peruvian law.

The habeas corpus case was filed by Castillo's lawyer Eduardo Pachas against the members of Congress' Subcommittee of Constitutional Accusations who Feb. 28 agreed to move forward with the accusation against the president for alleged treason after his statements in an interview with CNN.

Castillo said a referendum could be held to ask Peruvians whether they agreed to offer Bolivia access to the sea, which it lost to Chile following a war in the late 19th Century.

With the habeas corpus, Castillo's defense requested the definitive shelving of this constitutional complaint, citing principles such as the right to individual freedom, due process, legality, the presumption of innocence, and freedom of conscience, among others, were at stake.

Pachas pointed out that Castillo has expressed his opinions as “an ordinary citizen”, but insisted that “now, as president,” this is not his intention.

On the other hand, Prosecutor Iván García said Castillo's habeas corpus claim “lacks grounds” and explained that the constitutional complaint against the president is only in “the initial stage of a long process” since the Permanent Committee of Congress has yet to make a decision.

Castillo's impeachment for alleged “permanent moral incapacity” will be debated in Congress next week, where the opposition holds a majority. Voting is scheduled for Monday, marking Castillo's eight months in office. It will be the second impeachment attempt against Castillo. The first one in December of 2021 failed to garner the necessary number of votes for his dismissal - 87 out of 130.

Political analysts say that achieving that number seems unlikely, but that was also the case in 2020 when then-President Martin Vizcarra was sacked.