Bruno Pacheco: From Pedro Castillo's trusted teacher and person to being accused of corruption, money laundering and other crimes

Bruno Pacheco, former secretary of the presidential office, will have to spend the next 36 months in after preparatory investigative judge Manuel Chuyo ordered 36 months of pre-trial detention along with the nephews of President Pedro Castillo, Fray Vásquez Castillo and Gian Marco Castillo Gómez. The three characters are being investigated for alleged irregularities in the bidding process of the Puente Tarata III (San Martín) project in Provías Decentralizado, a body attached to the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MTC).

This measure was also imposed on businessmen Zamir Villaverde García and Luis Pasapera Adrianzén, as well as members of the bidding committee Victor Valdivia Malpartida and Edgar Vargas Mas.

The seven involved would have colluded in order to benefit the Puente Tarata Consortium (Tableros y Puentes S.A., Termirex S.A.C. and H.B. Estructuras Metálicas) with the work valued at S/232.5 million, which was assessed by the judge who considered the high degree of probability that those involved would be part of of an alleged criminal organization.

WHO IS BRUNO PACHECO?

Bruno Pacheco was Pedro Castillo's former strongman and right-hand man in the Government Palace, however a complaint by former Army Commander General José Vizcarra revealed a series of irregularities that the former secretary general of the presidency committed in the aggrievance of the State.

José Vizcarra denounced in RPP Noticias the interference of former Defense Minister Walter Ayala and Bruno Pacheco had pressured him to irregularly promote members of the Army close to Pedro Castillo.” Secretary Bruno Pacheco and the Minister insisted so much on those, to the point that we had repeatedly had a exchange of ideas and context of how the armed forces work that they failed to understand,” he said.

This was not the first time that Arnulfo Bruno Pacheco Castillo had been questioned. Between 2013 and 2019 he was denounced for harm and psychological violence, but he was still appointed Secretary General of the Presidency on July 30 through Supreme Resolution No. 083-2021-PCM, with a salary of 25,000 soles per month (US$6,750) in addition to contributions and benefits, although the professional profile required a master's degree, 10 years of experience in public administration and 5 years in personnel leadership.

According to the Register of Political Organizations (ROP), since 2009, he has been a member of the Somos Perú party. However, in September 2020, he tried to be part of the Perú Libre party but was unable to do so because he maintained his affiliation with Somos Perú.

His resume indicates that he has been a high school teacher in the specialty of Biology and Chemistry. He was part of the Educational Management Unit (UGEL) 7 since 1998. He has also been a professor of Physics, Technical Design and Financial Mathematics at the Military School of Chorrillos since 2005. Finally, he was head of staff selection and training of the company VIGARZA S.A.C.

Bruno Pacheco was also singled out for allegedly pressuring the head of the National Superintendence of Customs and Tax Administration (Sunat) on behalf of businessmen who are friends of his.

Subsequently, following an intervention by the Public Prosecutor's Office, prosecutors in charge of investigating the case of irregular promotions in the Armed Forces found US$20,000 kept in a bathroom in Bruno Pacheco's offices inside the Government Palace.

According to a report by the Public Prosecutor's Office, the official stated that the money was his, “product of his savings and the salary he receives” and promised to prove it later, but in other interviews he said that this money was the product of the sale of some land he made.

MONEY LAUNDERING

The Prosecutor's Office for Money Laundering also accused Bruno Pacheco and Pedro Castillo's nephew, Fray Vasquez, of belonging to an alleged criminal organization dedicated to the laundering of money derived from acts of corruption.

The document by Luz Taquire stated that “the persons investigated are charged with belonging to a criminal organization, with respect to the alleged commission of the crime of money laundering, the previous offense being the crimes (...) of collusion, incompatible negotiation and trading in influence.”

In addition, it is detailed that Bruno Pacheco is allegedly credited with belonging to this organization, which will have obtained money from acts of corruption and presuming that he “would be carrying out laundering acts” and proof of this would be the $20,000 found in his office in the Government Palace. A judge therefore requested seven days' preliminary detention.

CLANDESTINITY

The delicate situation of Pacheco forced him to hide and from hiding he said, in an interview with Sunday's Punto Final, that he will not surrender to justice since considers the process against him unfair and that his life is in danger.

“How am I going to take pretrial detention if it is something unfair. How am I going to get right if I'm going to expose my life. They even put a price on my head. How can I return to my home if any madman can take my life away from me,” he said

He also said that, since he was admitted to the program of The Most Wanted and that he offered 30,000 soles for information on his whereabouts, he has received multiple threats, but also offers from “power groups” to declare in line with some versions that would complicate the Government.

“Now I'm not only getting threats, but also offers. There are people who come close to wanting to force me to make statements that will give reason to a certain group of all the spaces that the government has divided,” he said, adding that in due course he will evaluate whether it reveals who is offering him offers to declare in a certain way before the Prosecutor's Office.

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