Peru’s Castillo Bribery Case Faces Deadline

PERU · POLITICS

The Castillo bribery case is running out of time in Peru’s Congress. Pedro Castillo, a former schoolteacher who was Peru’s leftist president from 2021 to 2022, is accused of selling career promotions to police and army officers.

Peru’s Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of its new two-chamber Congress, debates the file on Thursday, 29 October 2026; these are accusations only. Gestión reports the complaint closes without a trial if both chambers miss 15 November, but Caretas disagrees.

Who Pedro Castillo Is

Castillo, a rural schoolteacher and union leader, won Peru’s presidency in 2021 and took office that July. Congress removed him on 7 December 2022 after he announced that he would dissolve it, and he was detained that day.

On 27 November 2025 the Supreme Court’s special criminal panel sentenced him to 11 years, 5 months and 15 days for conspiracy to commit rebellion. His lawyers have appealed, and that sentence is a separate matter from the bribery complaint.

What the Castillo Bribery Case Alleges

Patricia Benavides, then Peru’s attorney general, filed the Castillo bribery case on 14 August 2023 and asked Congress to lift Castillo’s immunity. Peruvian presidents and ministers can face trial for crimes in office only after Congress approves.

Congress’s own report summarizes the complaint: two police colonels allegedly paid US$20,000 each (US$40,000 in total) through then-Defense Minister Walter Ayala to become generals. The report also cites a handwriting analysis of two sticky notes with promotion instructions, WhatsApp messages and witness statements, two of them from cooperating witnesses.

How the Case Reached This Point

A congressional subcommittee admitted the complaint on 23 January 2024 by 11 votes to 1, with 8 abstentions. Its report says that admitting a case does not prejudge guilt.

The file now sits with the Chamber of Deputies, which shares power with the new Senate, the upper house. On 7 October its Constitutional Accusations Commission, which screens cases against senior officials, voted unanimously to send the final report to the full chamber.

What Lawmakers Will Debate on 29 October

The commission is chaired by deputy Daniel Varas of the left-leaning Juntos por el Perú party. The full chamber will debate the report on Thursday, 29 October, at 3 p.m. for one hour, shared among party groups.

For Castillo, the report lists illegal sponsorship (using office to push private interests), abuse of authority and passive bribery, meaning accepting a bribe. It proposes lifting immunity for him and Ayala, and dropping an organized-crime charge because no separate criminal structure was shown.

Why 15 November Matters

Congress staff told the commission on 7 October that Ayala’s five-year window, counted from his exit from the Defense Ministry, ends on 15 November 2026. After that date, Congress can no longer act against him, according to its own notices.

Gestión says the case closes if both chambers miss that date, but Caretas says Ayala’s expiring immunity does not end the whole complaint. Congress’s own notices mention only Ayala’s window, so the effect on Castillo is not settled.

Congress has already let other files expire this year. On 7 October the commission declared lapsed a complaint against former Congress president Mirtha Vásquez, whose five-year window closed on 26 July 2026.

What It Means for US Readers

Peru is one of the world’s largest copper producers and sells gold to US buyers, so investors watch how its institutions handle political crises. Our explainer on Peru’s political instability counts nine presidents since 2016.

A floor vote on the Castillo bribery case would show whether Congress can finish a file that is over three years old. Our guides to how power works in Peru and Peru’s history give the wider picture, as does our report on the archived Dina Boluarte case.

What Is Not Known

Gestión says the case closes unless both chambers decide by 15 November, while Caretas says only Ayala’s immunity ends that day. Congress’s notices do not settle the question, and the number of votes needed is not known.

Nor is it clear that the debate on 29 October will end in a vote. No court has tested the evidence in the Castillo bribery case, and he has not been convicted of it.

The outcome of his appeal against the rebellion sentence has not been confirmed. His lawyers have asked the court to overturn it and acquit him.

More: Peru news in English, every day from The Rio Times.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Pedro Castillo?

Castillo is a former schoolteacher who served as Peru’s president from July 2021 until Congress removed him on 7 December 2022. He is serving a separate sentence for conspiracy to commit rebellion.

What is the Castillo bribery case about?

The Castillo bribery case alleges that he sold promotions to general for police and army officers in exchange for payments. He has not been convicted of this charge.

When will Congress debate the Castillo bribery case?

The Chamber of Deputies is scheduled to debate the final report on Thursday, 29 October 2026, at 3 p.m. Lima time. Debate time is limited to one hour.

What happens if Congress misses 15 November?

Congress says the five-year window to act against co-accused Walter Ayala ends that day. Gestión reports the whole case could then close without a trial, but Caretas says it would not.

Can Castillo be tried without Congress?

For alleged crimes in office, a president or minister can face trial only after Congress lifts immunity. The report proposes lifting it for both men.

Sources: Peru Congress news center, commission sends report to the Chamber of Deputies, 7 October 2026; Peru Congress news center, report to be debated on 29 October, 20 October 2026; Peru Congress, qualification report on complaint 403, 6 February 2024; El Peruano, Chamber of Deputies agenda, 20 October 2026; Caretas, 7 October 2026; Gestión, 26 October 2026; RPP, 5 January 2026.

This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief

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