A Peru judge has been sentenced to nine months of preventive detention for taking 4,000 soles (around $1220) in a bribe to favour a woman on trial in Arequipa.
According to Peru21, Judge Gino Valdivia Sorrentino was caught in the act of receiving the bribe from Angélica Cahuana’s lawyer. Cahuana is accused of the attempted murder of her four-year-old daughter.
La Republica reported that the national police had been intercepting phone calls for over a month and heard Valdivia and Cahuana’s lawyer, Lily Huanqui Ramos, agreeing on the bribe amount. Prosecutors also told La Republica that many of the audios allude to various other cases that require investigation.
According to RPP news, the Superior Judge Orlando Abril sentenced Valdivia to nine months due to the severity of the damage caused to the state, and his sentence could be eight to 15 years. Valdivia’s defense asked for protection for his client, as Valdivia had sent many people to prison who could take revenge if they saw him in the same prison.
Huanqui was also sentenced to nine months of preventive prison, although she asked for freedom with judicial restrictions, as she the sole carer for her husband who has a terminal illness and a 14-year-old teenager. She paid 10,000 soles (around $3000) to be allowed this right, but Abril gave them both the same sentence.
Peru21 reported that previously Valdivia had annulled his own sentence for a charge of drunk driving.
This comes as RPP reports that the Public Ministry has received 60 reports and 200 complaints against lawyers and judges in the region of Arequipa.
