Defense Minister Rafael Belaunde Llosa faces interpellation motion in Peru

The Juntos por el Perú parliamentary group has filed a motion of interpellation against Peru's Minister of Defense, Rafael Belaunde Llosa. If approved, the minister will be required to answer a series of questions regarding his management and potential conflicts of interest.

Key points of the motion include allegations regarding economic contributions from Evangelina Arias, president of the mining company Poderosa, which may have been intended to finance the minister's political campaign. Deputies are also seeking clarification on whether the minister held meetings with mining representatives and if the company made requests regarding security strategies in the Pataz province, which remains under a state of emergency.

Furthermore, the motion questions the deployment of military forces in Pataz, asking for the legal basis and specific details regarding whether troops are being used to secure Poderosa's facilities, camps, or concessions versus performing general citizen security duties.

In response, Deputy Roxana Rocha of Renovación Popular has criticized the motion as “insane and irresponsible.” She argued that the interpellation comes only 15 days into the minister's tenure, before legislative commissions have even been fully installed. Rocha alleged that the opposition's move is an attempt to protect interests related to informal mining and to influence the upcoming debate regarding the REINFO regulatory framework.