LIMA, Peru — A Peruvian judge will consider a request to bar President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski from leaving the country if the opposition-controlled congress decides to accept the embattled leader’s resignation.
Court officials announced Thursday they would schedule a hearing if the former Wall Street investor is officially removed from office, at which point Kuczynski would lose his presidential immunity and become vulnerable to prosecution. Authorities did not address whether the request would be considered if the conservative leader is impeached.
Lawmakers are slated to begin debating whether or not to accept Kuczynski’s resignation later in the afternoon, capping four months of turmoil following revelations the president’s private consulting firm accepted $782,000 in payments from the Brazilian construction giant involved in Latin America’s biggest corruption scandal.
Kuczynski has denied any wrongdoing, saying he had no involvement in the firm when the payments were made over a decade ago. But he agreed to step down Wednesday, saying he hoped the move would provide Peru more stability.
“Tomorrow I’ll be out of office,” he told supporters gathered outside his residence in an exclusive Lima neighbourhood Wednesday evening while covering his shoulders with the Peruvian flag. “But I’ll continue working for Peru.”
Some lawmakers are vowing to reject Kuczynski’s resignation, preferring to send a more forceful message by impeaching him instead. Legislators had already been scheduled to vote Thursday on whether to impeach him on grounds of “moral incapacity” before he offered to step down.
“A resignation can be on one’s own terms,” said Cynthia McClintock, a specialist in Peruvian politics and professor at George Washington University. “It’s a real slap in the face.”
A protracted, acrimonious departure would not be unprecedented for the Andean nation. Nearly two decades ago, congress rejected former Peruvian strongman Alberto Fujimori’s resignation after his term was marred by grave human rights violations. It opted to impeach him instead.
Kuczynski’s resignation makes him the first sitting Latin American president to leave office as a consequence of the Odebrecht corruption scandal. The Brazilian company has admitted to paying millions in bribes in exchange for lucrative public works contracts in a scandal that has embroiled some of Latin America’s most prominent politicians.