Page 12 - aruba-today-20171216

A12 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 16 december 2017
Peru launches impeachment against president Mexican Senate

keeps military

By FRANKLIN BRICEÑO in policing role
JOSHUA GOODMAN
Associated Press MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mex-
LIMA, Peru (AP) — Law- ico’s Senate approved a
makers in Peru initiated im- law Friday that would give
peachment proceedings the military a legal frame-
Friday against President work to act as police, de-
Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, spite unanimous objections
who is accused of failing to from human rights groups.
disclose decade-old pay- The law allows the military
ments from a Brazilian com- to intervene when the
pany embroiled in Latin president determines there
America’s biggest corrup- is a threat to national secu-
tion scandal. rity.
In a special session Friday, Theoretically, military de-
27 of 130 members of con- ployments would be lim-
gress approved launch- ited to one year, although
ing the process to oust the indefinite extensions could
president, who has defiant- also be granted.
ly denied wrongdoing. Rights groups in Mexico
“I’m not running and I’m and abroad, however,
not hiding because I have were quick to criticize the
no reason to,” the former legislation, saying that de-
Wall Street investor said in ployments could be end-
a televised address late Peru’s President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski attends the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Danang, lessly renewed and local
Thursday, vowing to pro- Vietnam. Kuczynski is in hot water over decade-old payments he received as a consultant to a governments would have
duce his personal banking Brazilian construction firm at the center of Latin America’s biggest-ever graft scandal. no need to train and re-
records for public scrutiny. (Jorge Silva/Pool photo via AP) cruit competent, honest
“I’m not going to abdicate Kuczynski also said all of the which have enough seats and wagged his finger at law enforcement.
my honor, my values or my payments were made to in congress to remove Kuc- three predecessors ac- A group of U.N. human
responsibilities as president his business partner at the zynski, had threatened the cused of taking bribes from rights experts wrote in an
of all Peruvians.” firm, Westfield Capital. impeachment proceed- the company. open letter Thursday that
Kuczynski said he had no Kuczynski’s impassioned ings unless the president Kuczynski said all of his the law broadly catego-
management duties in his address ended a 24-hour stepped down. earnings from Westfield rizes national security and
consulting firm between period of political turbu- “The country right now were duly reported to Pe- does not provide ade-
2004 and 2007 when it re- lence that started Wednes- can’t afford the luxury of ru’s tax authority. Of the $4 quate protection for hu-
ceived $782,000 from con- day as opposition lawmak- having a president that is million in payments to First man rights.
sortiums led by Odebrecht, ers presented documents so questioned,” said Dan- Capital, he said only a sin- Others protested the mili-
the Brazilian company. provided by Odebrecht iel Salaverry, a spokesman gle transaction, for which tary’s pervasive presence
During much of that time, showing payments to West- for the opposition Popular he held up an invoice, was in Mexico.
he was a Cabinet minister field as well as $4 million to Force party. for financial consulting ser- “I don’t want my children
in a previous government another firm, First Capital, As recently as last month, vices he provided the firm to grow up in a militarized
that awarded the Brazilian owned by the same busi- Kuczynski had denied hav- in 2012 as part of its work on country,” said actor Diego
company a major highway ness partner. ing any professional or po- an Odebrecht-owned irri- Luna during a protest out-
contract. Peru’s two biggest parties, litical ties to Odebrecht gation project.q side the Senate earlier this
week.
Puerto Rico: The Mexican military has
acknowledged that it is
Anger grows over power restoration missteps not trained to do police
work, but supporters of the
measure say it would per-
By DANICA COTO dark. municipalities remain en- and they have to match mit troops to act only for
Associated Press UTIER union president An- tirely without power, and perfectly,” he said. “Unfor- renewable one-year peri-
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) gel Figueroa said one of thousands of businesses tunately, I don’t think any- ods in states where police
— Union leaders represent- the biggest problems is that have closed. The lack of body was prepared here are not up to par.
ing Puerto Rico power com- workers with Puerto Rico’s electricity and other ongo- in Puerto Rico to address The Mexican army has
pany workers slammed lo- Electric Power Authority still ing problems have sparked that magnitude of destruc- maintained a policing
cal and federal officials on don’t have the equipment an exodus to the U.S. tion and be able to ad- role since 2006, when lo-
Friday as the U.S. territory or material to meet the mainland, with more than minister the logistics asso- cal forces were deemed
missed a deadline to re- governor’s goal. 130,000 Puerto Ricans flee- ciated with that.” Sanchez too small, corrupt or out-
store 95 percent of power “We’ve been forced to re- ing the island. also said that Puerto Rico’s gunned to fight drug car-
as promised by the island’s cycle materials,” he said, Jose Sanchez, director of mountainous topography tels and soldiers were dis-
governor. adding that residents in the Puerto Rico’s power grid poses a big challenge: “It’s patched by former Presi-
Puerto Rico is currently at southern mountain town restoration program for still a logistical nightmare.” dent Felipe Calderon.
64 percent power genera- of Villalba recently bought the U.S. Army Corps of En- But union leaders criticized The bill approved Friday
tion nearly three months af- basic supplies for govern- gineers, recently told The private brigades, saying would allow soldiers to le-
ter Hurricane Maria hit, and ment workers so power Associated Press that ef- they were taking too long gally do what they have
the situation has sparked could be restored in their forts to restore power have to help restore power and been doing ad hoc for at
a growing number of pro- neighborhood. been delayed in part be- questioning the multimillion least a decade: conduct
tests organized by some of “They used money out of cause supplies are lacking. dollar contracts they have raids, man highway check-
the hundreds of neighbor- their own pockets,” he said. “That flow of materials and obtained from the U.S. points, and pursue and de-
hoods that remain in the Nine of Puerto Rico’s 78 personnel has to match, government.q tain suspects.q