Peruvian prosecutors on Monday asked a court to sentence
a deputy minister accused of graft to nine years in prison, in a
case that could undermine President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski's bid to
show he is tough on corruption.
Prosecutors charged Deputy Agriculture Minister Juan Carlos
Gonzales of colluding to favor an unqualified businesswoman in
supply contracts for nutrition programs when he was an official in
the city of Tumbes, the attorney general's office said in a
statement.
The announcement follows a corruption scandal involving a
Kuczynski's health advisor earlier this month that knocked his
popularity and prompted him to promise an "exhaustive" review of
officials close to him and his ministers.
Gonzales did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The agriculture ministry said he denies wrongdoing.
It is unclear if Kuczynski knew that Gonzales was under
investigation for corruption when he appointed him on July 30, or
whether he will keep him in office.
Gonzales, the former legal representative for a political party
that endorsed Kuczynski in a tight run-off race, said on local
radio program Exitosa that Agriculture Minister Jose Manuel
Hernandez knew about the graft inquiry before naming him deputy
minister of agrarian policies.
Corruption is widespread in Peru, a top exporter of copper, zinc
and gold whose economy has more than doubled since the start of the
century, often outpacing the ability of government offices to spend
public revenues.
Kuczynski's approval rating dropped eight percentage points to
55 percent earlier this month after his health advisor Carlos
Moreno was heard plotting corrupt deals in audio conversations
broadcast on local media.
Moreno has denied wrongdoing and said the audio was edited to
frame him.
Kuczynski, a 78-year-old former investment banker who took
office with promises to fight corruption and inequality, initially
told reporters that Moreno stepped down for personal reasons but
later said he fired him as soon as he heard of his plans to "mine"
the public health system for personal benefit.
Kuczynski was one of the few political presidential hopefuls who
ran in this year's elections unburdened by corruption or money
laundering scandals.
Earlier on Monday Kuczynski proposed barring anyone with
corruption convictions from holding public office and said
excessive red tape fosters graft.
"The more complicated the state becomes the more possibilities
there are for corruption," Kuczynski said.