Peru's Chamber of Deputies approved a motion of interpellation against Interior Minister César Astudillo on Wednesday, ordering him to appear before the full chamber on September 17 to answer a list of 27 questions about his handling of rising crime in the country.
The motion passed with 66 votes in favor, 49 against and one abstention.
It was put forward by the Juntos por el Perú caucus, with lawmakers Ernesto Zunini, Analí Márquez, Jenifer Paredes and César Tito Rojas signing the document. The congressmen questioned the minister over personnel decisions within the Interior Ministry that they consider irregular, and held him responsible for the lack of results in the fight against crime.
What the questions cover
The questionnaire Astudillo must answer is divided into four thematic areas. These include the executive branch's plan against contract killings, extortion and homicides, as well as the logistical state of the National Police of Peru's vehicle fleet.
The motion also demands that Astudillo clarify the reasons behind the continued command of Óscar Arriola at the head of the national police force.
Police command change
Arriola is due to retire from the National Police of Peru on September 15, one day before Astudillo faces lawmakers. Astudillo himself confirmed the move, saying Lieutenant General Fredy López Mendoza will take over as General Commander of the National Police of Peru on September 16, in a ceremony scheduled at the Officers and Non-Commissioned Officers School in Puente Piedra.
The Chamber of Deputies is the lower house of Peru's Congress, and an interpellation motion is a formal mechanism that compels a government minister to appear and answer a set questionnaire from lawmakers, distinct from a censure motion that can remove them from office.
Defence minister motion rejected
In the same session, the Chamber of Deputies rejected a separate motion of interpellation against Defence Minister Rafael Belaúnde. That motion had been filed over his links to the Poderosa mining company and his handling of violence in the Pataz region.
