Thursday, October 2, 2014

Run Beto, run…..


As of this writing Chiclayo’s mayor Beto Torres remains a fugitive, with police intensifying their efforts to apprehend him. So far 27 people have been detained by police, including the city manager, some common council members, Beto’s girlfriend (photo), and a police officer in the anticorruption unit. Cash, jewelry and other valuables were found by police while conducting 13 separate raids two nights ago. Court documents accuse Beto and the others of setting up ‘shadow corporations’ and awarding city contracts to those corporations. They would then sell those contracts to legitimate (?) companies for a sizable kickback.

Corruption in Peru goes with the territory. It is not accepted, but it is expected. The assumption is that every public employee, from the President to a postal worker is corrupt unless proven otherwise. That is probably too sweeping of an indictment, but one that all too often proves to be true.

The question is will Beto be caught and if so, where and when? There is probably no truth to reports that he is en route to Venezuela where he will apply for asylum and try to convince a sympathetic Maduro that the whole affair is a plot by the United States to discredit him.

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