Congress closes ranks in support of Alejandro Soto for tomb in Cusco: Which groups support him? | Cuzco Benevolent Society | La Almudena Cemetery | Underestimated Purchase | APP | principle

He Congress Again closing its ranks in favor of its owner, Alejandro Soto, the protagonist of a complaint again last Sunday. “Punto Final” reported that the Cusco Benevolent Society was investigating the under-purchase of land at the La Almudena cemetery by the mother of an Alianza Para el Progreso legislator.

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According to Sunday's program, it is an M-45 identified as “Sotto Reyes” that was purchased in January 2023 by Soto's widow, Delia Reyes Vera, mother of the Speaker of Parliament.

The company sold the land during the administration of Hector Villavicencio Muñoz, a personal friend of Alejandro Soto who visited his parliamentary office 11 times.

During Villavicencio's administration, the charity informed the congresswoman that she could only pay S/66,600 per lot, even though available appraisals showed that the cost of each lot exceeded S/80,000.

When consulted by this newspaper, legislators from the Popular Renewal, Somos Peru, Magisterial Bloc, Peru Bicentenario and Peru Libre groups downplayed the complaint and declined to answer whether the case warranted an investigation by the Ethics Committee.

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Congressman Jorge Montoya (Renovación Popular) indicated that the issue must first be evaluated by the Comptroller General of the Republic to determine “if there is fraud or misconduct,” adding, “It will be looked at if it goes to Congress or to the prosecutor's office.” .

Meanwhile, Guido Bellito (Perú Bicentenario) called for an investigation of the person in charge of the Cusco Benevolent Society, and that the visit to Soto in Congress “does not constitute any malpractice, until it is. Prohibited.” He also felt that inquiries should come from the regulatory body.

In turn, Edgar Tello (Magisterial Block) said: “Let them investigate [a Soto] As long as he is responsible, he is not responsible as far as I know. Appropriate commissions should conduct inquiries as appropriate.

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“His position is that anyone has the right to buy land for their eternal retirement,” pointed out Héctor Velar, Congressman of Somos Peru. “Furthermore, charities in Peru today are real estate” he added.

For his part, only Flavio Cruz could say: “Charity has a personal rule, the law of supply and demand works.”

On the other hand, Luis Aragon (Popular Action) and Roberto Sánchez (Democratic Transition) had a different position.

Aragon said that “the president of Congress should have stepped aside a long time ago” and that there should be “an official investigation by the ethics committee” regarding the case.

“Any complaint with a presumption of guilt must be investigated, even more so, if it relates to any public authority,” Sanchez stressed.

“It is imperative that the Congressman himself give an account and clarify his actions on what has been reported,” he said.

The daily tried to contact Congressmen from other parties, but they did not respond by the time of going to press. There was no statement from APP or its bench in Congress.

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In a statement published on social network X, Alejandro Soto Reyes denied this “clear intent to defame his image” A day before the Standing Commission debates the report on the impeachment of members of the National Judicial Board (JNJ).

Likewise, he said, on February 8 last year, after the transfer of use was confirmed on July 17, 2023, the rates per square meter were updated. “So it is not true that the property was acquired below the market price.”.

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Armor History

In many cases, the Ethics Commission, headed by Diego Bazan (Avanza País), defends the President of Congress or does not open an investigation. For example, the task force did not announce the hearing when testimony was released from Jaime Villanueva, former counsel to Patricia Benavides, who said that Soto “asked for support in the investigation opened for the case of the so-called 'troll factory.'”

In December, the task force cleared the head of the legislative branch for voting in favor of the statute of limitations and for taking advantage of it to avoid trial in Cuzco for fraud. Jail for Congress.

Following slow progress in the case commission, it took almost a month for the Congress leader to begin formal investigation. According to an analysis by the Ethics Commission's technical committee, “what was said in the press release that led to the investigation cannot be confirmed.” Likewise, he says, the mandate was given six months before Soto was elected as Congress president. He also claims that Soto was not the author of the said attempt.

Months earlier, in October, the ethics commission had already shielded him over the 'troll factory' case and the hiring of his son's aunt, Yeshira Peralta Salas, as an assistant in his parliamentary office.