The Peruvian Judiciary has issued a ruling for twelve months of preventive detention against Vladimir Cerrón, the leader of the political party Peru Libre. Cerrón has been on the run since October when he was sentenced to three years and six months in prison for corruption. This conviction stemmed from irregularities related to the construction of an airstrip during his tenure as the governor of Junín in 2014.
According to a statement from the Judiciary, this measure was taken due to Cerrón’s failure to comply with restrictive measures imposed on him during an investigation into organized crime. Notably, the same institution had previously mandated 36 months of preventive detention against him in December for fleeing from justice.
Cerrón is alleged to be part of a criminal organization led by Martín Belaúnde Lossio, which reportedly defrauded the state of over 26 million soles through projects executed while Cerrón served as the Regional President of Junín from 2011 to 2014.
Cerrón has evaded justice since he did not attend the reading of his sentence regarding the irregular construction of the airstrip in Junín. In addition to his prison sentence, he is also required to pay an economic compensation of 800,000 soles (approximately 200,000 euros) to the state.
This isn’t the first time Cerrón has found himself in similar circumstances. In 2019, he was on the run for 16 days in connection with another corruption conviction.
This latest case pertains to irregularities in the construction of the Wanka Regional Airstrip in the city of Orcotuna. The project was initiated by the Regional Government of Junín despite negative reports from the Ministry of Transport and Communications, which noted that the region already had an operational airport.
Image and News Source: https://www.infobae.com/america/agencias/2024/07/23/el-poder-judicial-de-peru-dicta-doce-meses-de-prision-preventiva-contra-el-lider-de-peru-libre-vladimir-cerron/
