Police raided the private residence of Peruvian President Pedro Castillo on Wednesday, local media reported. His sister-in-law was accused of corruption, and the lawyer turned himself in to authorities who later revealed her.
Castillo himself has been the subject of five criminal investigations of his, including corruption, and he has survived two impeachment attempts since taking office last July.
Images broadcast on several TV channels show agents entering Castillo's home in the countryside north of Cajamarca on Wednesday.
This comes just hours after an unprecedented raid Tuesday at the presidential palace in Lima to enforce the detention warrant for Castillo's sister-in-law, Yenifer Paredes. rice field.
However, when investigators left the Castillo home empty-handed, Paredes lawyer José Dionisio later told the RPP radio station that his client had turned up at the public prosecutor's office and handed himself over.
"We are inside the public prosecutor's office," Dionisio said.
"They broke into my house," Castillo said at a public event in Lima on Wednesday, although the public prosecutor's office did not confirm a search had taken place. 17}
Castillo, a 52-year-old rural schoolteacher and trade unionist, unexpectedly rose to power from Peru's traditional political elite in last year's elections.
He has been under constant attack from right-wing political rivals, and has set the sights of the Attorney General's Office on investigations into open tender corruption and allegations that Castillo plagiarized university papers. ing.
Opinion polls show that three-quarters of Peruvians oppose his control of the country, which has seen three prime ministers and seven interior ministers come and go in just over a year.
Investigated by other members of the president's circle
Paredes, 26, lives with Castillo and his wife, whom Castillo refers to as her "parents." ' is reportedly considered to be.
She is the fourth member of the president's inner circle to be investigated for corruption and is also facing money laundering charges.
Others include a nephew who served as an adviser, a former Minister of Transport (both fugitives from the judiciary), and Castillo's former presidential secretary.
In a statement, the Court of Justice said Tuesday's raid on the presidential palace was an execution of a judicial search warrant against Paredes.
Jose Nenyl Medina, mayor of Castillo's native Chota state, and Hugo and Angie Espino, businessman brothers, arrested on suspicion of involvement in the same corrupt ring At the same time, raids were conducted in other parts of the capital.
In a televised message late Tuesday, Castillo described the operation as an "illegal raid" and part of a conspiracy to remove him.
His attorney, Benji Espinoza, later announced his resignation, but did not give a reason for his resignation, but claimed that his former client had fallen victim to a lynching.
Also on Tuesday, a parliamentary committee report disqualified Castillo over reports that he was considering a proposal to allow landlocked neighbor Bolivia access to the sea. recommended prosecution.
