Peru President Impeached: Castillo Ousted After 4 Months

Peru’s interim president, José Jerí, was removed from office Wednesday in an “express impeachment” following a political scandal involving secretive meetings with Chinese businessmen. Lawmakers voted 75 to 24 to proceed with his removal after just four months in office.

José Jerí Impeachment

The scandal, dubbed “Chifagate,” emerged after security-camera footage showed Jerí in clandestine meetings with Chinese businessmen outside of his official agenda, including one instance where he appeared to conceal his identity with a hooded top.

Jerí, 39, is the eighth president Peru has seen since 2016, a period marked by significant political instability with frequent oustings, resignations, and interim appointments.

The acting speaker of Peru’s congress, Fernando Rospigliosi, stated that lawmakers will vote on Wednesday to determine Jerí’s replacement, just months before the country’s presidential elections in April.

Jerí initially enjoyed popularity, but his approval rating plummeted amid the “Chifagate” controversy and other scandals. Political parties that had previously supported him began to distance themselves as election campaigning intensified.

Prosecutors have launched a preliminary investigation into alleged influence-peddling related to the meetings with Yang Zhihua, known as “Johnny,” a well-connected Chinese businessman who has resided in Peru for decades.

Another Chinese citizen, Ji Wu Xiaodong, present at one of the meetings, is accused of involvement in an illegal timber-trafficking network known as Los Hostiles de la Amazonia and has been under house arrest for two years.

Jerí also faces scrutiny over allegations of hiring unqualified young women for government positions following late-night meetings at the presidential palace, based on the official entry-and-exit log. He is also accused of allowing some of these women to accompany him on official trips on the presidential plane. Jerí has denied any wrongdoing, asserting the appointments were legal.

US-China Tensions

The political upheaval in Peru coincides with a diplomatic dispute between the US and China. Bernardo Navarro, the newly appointed US ambassador to Peru, criticized “cheap Chinese money” in a post on X, stating “there is no higher price to pay than losing sovereignty,” in an apparent reference to the port of Chancay, which is majority-owned by the Chinese firm Cosco Shipping Ports.

The fully automated port is located approximately 50 miles north of Lima. US officials have previously expressed concerns that the deepwater port could potentially be used for naval activities, allegations Peru has denied.

China’s foreign ministry responded by condemning what it called “false accusations and disinformation against China’s cooperation with Peru” regarding the Chancay port. Peru’s foreign ministry subsequently posted a photograph on X of its minister shaking hands with China’s ambassador to Peru, Song Yang, to celebrate the lunar new year and reaffirm Chinese investments and bilateral trade relations.