Detectives immediately knew it was a professional hit. The criminals had peppered the taxi with around forty bullets, but stole nothing from the dying driver and passenger.
But what intrigued them was the identity of the victim of the ferocious attack last December in the center of Lima, the chaotic capital of Peru. That passenger, Andrea Vidal, 27, was a slim, photogenic lawyer and former congressional aide.
By the time she succumbed to her injuries in intensive care a week later, investigators had begun to uncover a scandal shocking even by the lowest standards of the Andean Nation’s ethics-contested Congress – a prostitution ring allegedly operating within the legislative building itself.
Politicians initially sought to ignore the developing scandal, which Ms. Vidal, who was part of the network, was reportedly on the verge of revealing at the time of her assassination.
But popular pressure finally forced them to act. Last week, they banned female assistants from wearing miniskirts and shorts.
Taxi riddled with bullets after shooting in Lima where Andrea Vidal was killed – Cuarto Poder/Facebook
The so-called “sex for vote” system – and politicians’ controversial response – has shaken even a jaded society that had long viewed the entire political class as hopelessly corrupt.
It has also highlighted apparent attitudes towards women in Parliament, which critics describe as “medieval” and even compare to the Taliban.
One of the various lurid allegations concerns another assistant, 26-year-old Isabel Cajo. Although she does not have the Batchelors qualification required for her position, she previously had an OnlyFans page.
She was reportedly appointed last year at the personal request of then-President Alejandro Soto. He has denied any involvement in her hiring, while she claims to be the target of “unfair” attacks.
The investigation is ongoing, but the prostitution ring is believed to be led by Jorge Luis Torres Saravia, who was fired from his position as director of the Congressional Legal Office. He insists he had nothing to do with Ms Vidal’s murder and that the two men were “friends”.
Bullet holes in taxi window – Cuarto Poder/Facebook
Mr. Torres Saravia is an associate of Cesar Acuña, who heads one of Peru’s largest political parties, the Alliance for Progress. Mr. Acuña demanded that the full weight of the law be applied to those responsible for the scandal, but also accused the press of “taking advantage” of it to harm his party.
Mr. Acuña, the owner of a chain of lucrative private universities, was accused of plagiarizing his doctoral dissertation and admitted to being banned from the United States, apparently on suspicion of money laundering, which he denies.
Politician accused of rape
Monitoring of macho attitudes within Peru’s political class intensified this month after a politician, José Jerí, was accused of rape at a New Year’s party.
One of his colleagues, Edwin Martínez, who was not present at the party, later accused the alleged victim of being drunk, adding: “She should have controlled herself better.” Mr Jerí denies the allegations but has temporarily resigned from his party while police investigate.
Yet it forced Congress to finally address the issue, introducing a ban on miniskirts this week. The controversy marks a new low for what is already perhaps the least popular legislative body in the world, with approval ratings consistently in the single digits.
More than half of the 130 members of the unicameral Congress are currently under criminal investigation for charges ranging from corruption to domestic violence.
Government representatives in Congress in Lima – Juan Carlos Cisneros/AFP via Getty
Since taking office in July 2021, the current Congress has awarded itself wage and spending increases while ignoring pressing social problems, including the fact that 40% of Peruvian toddlers suffer from anemia.
At the same time, lawmakers have passed laws that legal experts say make it harder to prosecute organized crime. The main beneficiaries have been the cocaine trade, illegal mining and a booming extortion industry that has led to attacks on gangs becoming commonplace.
Recent counter-reforms include requiring a suspect’s lawyer to be present during police raids – giving suspected criminals hours to dispose of evidence – and banning officers from seizing black market explosives used in the illegal gold mining that devastated the Peruvian Amazon.
Parliamentarians also restricted the ability of prosecutors to hold suspects on bail and relaxed the legal definition of “organized crime.”
That led a court to revoke an arrest warrant Wednesday for Nicanor Boluarte, brother of Dina Boluarte, the president. He had been on the run for weeks, avoiding pre-trial detention on suspicion of corruption and influence peddling, which he denies.
Ms. Boluarte came to power representing the Free Peru party, which describes itself as “Marxist-Leninist.” Yet she has formed a tactical alliance with the conservative-dominated Congress as they together seek to block investigations into Peru’s rampant corruption.
The president herself faces several investigations, including for the “Rolexgate” scandal and for allegedly abandoning her duties to have a secret nose job. She admits the operation but insists it was medically necessary and claims her £400,000 jewelry collection, acquired through her £40,000 presidential salary, was the result of her own hard work.
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