(This story has been refiled to remove an incorrect picture)
By Marco Aquino
LIMA, Jan 20 (Reuters) – Peruvian President Jose Jeri is facing a preliminary investigation by the country’s prosecutor as Congress looks to begin impeachment proceedings, after his recent meetings with a Chinese businessman outside of his official agenda erupted into a fresh political scandal.
Jeri, who assumed power in October after the expulsion of former President Dina Boluarte, said on Monday night he would make himself available to the prosecutor’s office and the congressional oversight committee to “provide statements and clarifications” on the matter, according to the president’s press office.
Jeri’s meetings with businessman Zhihua Yang, who owns commercial stores and a concession for an energy project, and his failure to publicly disclose them as part of his agenda, prompted criticism over a lack of transparency and potential corruption. In Peru, the president’s meetings are traditionally included in the official agenda.
Jeri met with Zhihua Yang on December 26 and January 6, according to local media.
Opposition lawmakers have said they will present a motion to impeach or censure Jeri, 39, whose popularity remains high despite dipping to 44% in January, according to the local polling firm CPI.
A ‘FRIENDLY’ MEETING
Jeri issued a public apology for the initial meeting, a dinner at a Chinese restaurant in Lima, via a recorded message on Sunday. He said he went to coordinate the celebration of another anniversary of Peruvian-Chinese friendship and denied having received an “irregular request” to meet.
“I admit my mistake,” he said. “And I publicly apologize for entering the meeting with the businessman the way I did, hidden, and for that, giving rise to suspicions and doubts about my behavior,” Jeri said.
Hours after Jeri’s apology, a second meeting with Zhihua Yang, whose business has been suspended by Lima’s authorities for selling unauthorized products, was made public.
An attorney representing Zhihua Yang told radio station RPP on Monday night that the encounters were a “friendly meeting in which President Jeri broke some protocols.”
Although a censure of Jeri requires fewer votes than impeachment (87 out of 130), his removal is unlikely, political experts have said. Two-thirds of Peru’s lawmakers are seeking reelection and will likely opt for stability before the April general elections, analysts said.
Peru has been reeling from an ongoing political crisis, with a revolving door of seven presidents since 2018 due to resignations or dismissals.
(Report by Marco Aquino, Editing by Aida Pelaez-Fernandez and Andrea Ricci )
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