Peru’s President Ollanta Humala (Photo courtesy of Wikipedia)Peruvian President Ollanta Humala’s brother, Alexis, is being investigated over irregularities related to his partnership in Krasny del Peru SL, a pharmaceuticals company that won more than 500 million soles ($191 million) of government contracts.
This is the second major corruption scandal involving the family of the president, who assumed office in July last year.
Another brother, Antauro Humala, was recently moved to a high security prison after being found guilty of seeking benefits by bribing prison officials. He’s serving a 19-year sentence for the uprising against former president Alejandro Toledo in 2005 and killing four policemen.
Corruption stories are dominating much of the news in Latin America.
In Argentina last week, the first-ever trial of a former president began. Fernando de la Rua is accused of bribery and misusing public funds to buy votes the votes of legislators.
Earlier this month in Brazil, 38 former politicians and associates went on trial in Brasilia. They’re accused in the country’s biggest ever money-for-votes scandal.
Back in Peru, President Humala issued a warning earlier this year that “the people who want to get access to me through my family to obtain any benefit, job, among others, have chosen the worst path, because they will never get to me.”
Despite the scandals involving his brothers, he hasn’t softened his anti-corruption stance — even when it comes to his family. That has caused speculation of bickering among members of the powerful Humala clan.
So far, most Peruvians approve of the president’s tough stance against corruption, and despite the family scandals he has remained popular.
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