Peru's Former President Shoots Himself Over Possible Arrest
Former Peruvian President Alan García has killed himself after police showed up at his home to arrest him over bribery charges.
Mumbai, April 18: Former Peruvian President Alan García has killed himself after police showed up at his home to arrest him over bribery charges.
Garcia had been accused of taking bribes from a Brazilian construction company Odebrecht during his term as the country’s president. García served as Peru’s president from 1985 to 1990 and again from 2006 to 2011. The former president had denied the corruption charges but an arrest warrant was issued on the basis of prima facie evidence.
Reports say that police officers arrived at his home to arrest him after which Garcia asked to make a phone call. Garcia then went away and locked himself in a room. A few minutes police officers heard a gun-shot from the room. They had to break open the room and saw Garcia with a gun in his hand and a bullet wound in his head.
He was rushed to the hospital and doctors said they operated on him. He had to be resuscitated three times before finally succumbing to his injuries. Read: Largest Ancient Child Sacrifice Unearthed in Peru
Garcia became Peru's youngest ever president in 1985 at the age of 36, and was accused of taking bribes from Odebrecht during his second term in office. Garcia had called the charges against him as manufactured, as there was "no clue or evidence" against him. He had applied for political asylum in Uruguay last year but was denied. Read: This Peru Doctor Saw Families of Sick Children Lying on Floors of Hospitals And Decided To Do Something About it
Three of Peru’s most recent presidents have been hit with corruption charges and are under arrest. A fourth, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, who served in office from 2016-2018, resigned over a vote-buying scandal and was detained last week. A fifth - Alberto Fujimori is serving a prison sentence for corruption and human rights abuses.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 18, 2019 06:45 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).