Pedro Castillo: Who are the president's nephews?

In the morning, businessman Zamir Villaverde was preliminarily detained for 15 days at his home in La Molina. This is due to the request of the Public Ministry, which is investigating the unofficial meetings of President of the Republic Pedro Castillo at the Sarratea passage house in Breña . This is a case that has been investigated since last year, where Karelim López, Bruno Pacheco and several nephews of the president are also involved.

In response to the statement of the lobbyist, Karelim Lopez, the president's relatives have been implicated in alleged crimes. Among four of them they recorded 50 admissions to the Government Palace during the government of their uncle. The defense of Karelim López points to them as “the key that opens the access door to the president.”

Last Sunday, March 27, Panorama revealed that accountant Fany Oblitas Paredes, President Castillo's political niece, won contracts with the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MTC) and the Superintendency of Land Transport of People, Cargo and Goods (Sutran) for S/ 18,000 last February.

She becomes the daughter of the sister of first lady Lilia Paredes and it is known that she had never had any kind of contract with the state until her uncle took over the presidential chair. The young woman, according to the report, won a first service order for S/6,000 with the MTC one day after being declared capable of contracting with the State, on February 4.

Oblitas Paredes joins the list of all relatives of President Pedro Castillo who receive alleged benefits for their family ties. This past Monday, the team of money-laundering prosecutor Luz Taquire conducted a diligence where they collected videos from the security cameras of the building where the nephews shared an apartment. In addition, he sealed the entrance to the site and prosecutors are expected to return to the scene.

WHO ARE ALL THESE NEPHEWS OF THE PRESIDENT?

According to Cesar Nakazaki, Karelim Lopez's lawyer, they would be “the key that opens the access door to the president.” At least one of the president's nephews is being targeted by the Prosecutor's Office for Money Laundering and the Congressional Oversight Commission, and three of them have been cited for allegedly being involved in the Puente Tarata case.

FRIAR VASQUEZ CASTILLO

The best known nephew, for having a close relationship with businessman Zamir Villaverde. He is the son of Adelina Castillo, sister of the president. Like his uncle, he was born in Tacabamba, Chota, and is currently 32 years old. He has no history of affiliation with politics or a university degree registered with Sunedu. He was one of the closest people to the president during his presidential campaign and most trusted. When Castillo went to the Government Palace on July 21 to meet with the outgoing president Francisco Sagasti, his nephew was one of his companions.

Since the beginning of the Government, Vásqeuz Castillo has registered 16 official admissions to the Government Palace, which were between August 6 and September 24. Most of these were recorded as family visits in the name of the Military House. Only the first was recorded as a meeting with Pedro Castillo himself. In addition, he has another visit on August 7 to the then Minister of Defense, Walter Ayala. The former minister has said that the meeting was for the president's nephews to greet him. His entry into a more recent state entity went to the Congress of the Republic on February 9 to testify before the Congressional Oversight Commission.

Vasquez's relationship with Sarratea's house was that he was apparently in charge of receiving and accompanying people arriving at the place. He was also seen arriving at the scene in a van in the name of a company owned by Zamir Villaverde, who today is co-investigated for money laundering, and spending the night there.

The Congressional Oversight Commission summoned Fray Vasquez to answer for this. At first, he did not show up claiming that he had COVID-19, but then the Congressional Attorney's Office denounced him for allegedly presenting false evidence. Finally, he attended on February 9. Before the parliamentary group, Fray Vasquez said: “I have attended Sarratea, I don't remember how many times. Only in family reunions with my uncle and with fellow countrymen (...) I don't know Karelim López. I have no amical link with her. Only once did I receive it in Sarratea.”

Later, Karelim López testified as a collaborator before the prosecution and implicated the president's nephew in the alleged MTC mafia. “I know that there is a mafia in the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MTC), made up of President Pedro Castillo Terrones (...) the president's nephews: Fray Vasquez Castillo, Gian Marco Castillo Gómez, Rousbelt [Rudbel] Oblitas Paredes, nephew on his wife's side,” he said.

At another time, López stated that “Bruno Pacheco again clarified that the only person who can talk about these issues [MTC tenders] is Zamir Villaverde with Castillo's nephews: Gian Carlo Castillo Gómez and Fray Vasquez Castillo, and [the] Minister of Transport, Juan Silva, who see this issue directly with President Pedro Castle”.

The lobbyist then included Fray Vasquez in her investigation for alleged money laundering. This was based on reports that he had received López at Sarratea's house and the statements of Zamir Villaverde, who acknowledged to the media that he had rented vehicles from his company to the president's nephew without having banked the payments. In addition, the Audit Commission approved to request the lifting of banking and tax secrecy, as well as the lifting of Fray Vasquez's communications.

Finally, last Sunday, Cuarto Poder released a report reporting that Fray Vasquez and other nephews of the president occupied an apartment in the district of Magdalena. The next day, Prosecutor Luz Taquire conducted a diligence to collect videos from the local cameras and seal the entrance to that department.

GIAN MARCO CASTILLO GOME

In the case of Gian Marco, he is the son of the president's brother, José Castillo Terrones, was born in Tacabamba and is currently 23 years old. Castillo is politically active, although on his Facebook account he often spreads messages in favor of Peru Libre, his uncle Pedro and against Congress, including videos calling for its closure. There he is also described as a student of economic science at the National University of Callao, although in Reniec his level of education is recorded as the fifth grade of primary school.

Very close to his uncle Pedro Castillo Terrones in the campaign. After the election victory, he shared several videos on his social networks such as videos of the ceremony or the presentation of credentials to the president and then accompanied him to the Government Palace for a meeting with Francisco Sagasti.

He added a total of 21 admissions to the Government Palace between August 2 and September 24, always in the name of the Military House and almost always for the occasion of a family visit. He also has in his name a meeting with then-minister Walter Ayala on August 7, the same day that a visit by his cousin Fray Vasquez to the same office is recorded.

Later, he was no longer known until in the report on Fourth Power he was involved in the department of Magdalena, where he is seen using a vehicle in the name of a woman with companies that has contracts with the State and another that was allegedly loaned by the owner of the house of the Sarratea jirón to the president's nephews, the same which then went to the building of that department.

RUBEL OBLITAS WALLS

He is the son of the first lady's brother. She was born in Anguía, Chota, she is 28 years old. According to Sunedu's records, he is a civil engineer from the Technological University of Havana 'José Antonio Echevarría'. It registers several admissions to Palacio, including twelve between August 6 and December 2, but also two incomes to the Ministry of Housing. One was on September 29 and another on November 9, both were in the name of Salatiel Marrufo as chief of the advisory cabinet.

In his statements. Lopez pointed to him as part of the mafia at MTC. According to the businesswoman, she attended a meeting at the end of November last November in which Rudbel Oblitas participated, who introduced her to a person allegedly close to senior prosecutor Omar Tello, coordinator of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, “who gave the message that everything was controlled, that everything was kept quiet and that everything was going to be quiet” , he said.

At another time, Karelim López added: “He told him that everything would be quiet and that President Castillo was going to meet with the 'number one' of the Public Ministry, alluding to Zoraida Ávalos.” Both Senior Prosecutor Omar Tello and the Prosecutor of the Nation have denied the veracity of what was said by the aspiring effective collaborator.

CLEDIN VASQUEZ CASTILLO

He is the younger brother of Fray Vasquez. He is 27 years old, he was also born in Tacabamba and registers full secondary school. Cledin does have political activism, since he has been affiliated with Peru Libre since January 3 of this year, as recorded in the Register of Political Organizations (ROP) of the National Jury of Elections. Another difference is that it does not record official visits to the Government Palace or other state entities. He was part of last Sunday's report as his brother's companion in the Magdalena building and apparently getting ready to leave the place.

JAIME VASQUEZ CASTILLO

Finally, the last nephew of the president involved, is the older brother of Fray and Cledin Vasquez. He was born in Tacabamba and is currently 34 years old. According to Reniec, his degree of instruction is the third year of full secondary school. Like his younger brother, he has been listed in the ROP as an affiliate of Peru Libre since January 3 of this year.

It has only one official entry registered to the Government Palace on August 26, on the occasion of a visit to the presidential family requested and authorized by Pedro Castillo. In addition, he had a “personal visit” to Peruvian Congressman Américo Gonza in his office on November 8.

Jaime Vasquez also appears entering the building in Magdalena and, according to Cuarto Poder, is coordinator of the group 'La Fuerza de Castillo'. He has a Facebook account in his name where he often shares images, news and videos in favor of the government and against the parliamentary opposition; as well as photos with his family and the president.

This nephew of Pedro Castillo was also mentioned in the complaint of a rape inside a local in Peru Libre by a 23-year-old woman. According to Panorama, Jaime Vasquez Castillo was coordinating his uncle's campaign and refused to help her, urging her to desist from filing the complaint.

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