Peru’s National Police detained former Chairman of the Lima Metro Line 1 Tender Committee, Edwin Luyo Barrientos, accused of accepting bribes from Brazilian conglomerate Odebrecht, on Friday night.
Prosecutor Hamilton Castro led the police raid that captured the former government official.
Luyo Barrientos was an official at Lima's electric train authority (AATE) that oversaw Lima Metro Line 1 first stretch in 2009, under Alan Garcia’s administration.
On the other hand, the police raided the house of former Vice-Minister of Communications Jorge Cuba Hidalgo in San Isidro district, but found no trace of him.
According to footage recorded by a local channel, no one was at Cuba’s apartment, but the police and Public Ministry personnel remained at the facilities to collect information.
Cuba was Vice-Minister of Communications when Odebrecht earned the contract to build the Lima Metro Line 1 in 2009.
He served the Alan Garcia's 2006-2011 administration and is suspected of taking bribes from Brazilian builder Odebrecht.
As is known, the family-owned conglomerate admitted to having distributed US$29 million in bribes among Peruvian officials in 2005-2014 to secure public contracts.
Said period spans over the presidencies of Alejandro Toledo (2001-2006), Alan Garcia (2006-2011) and Ollanta Humala (2011-2016).
The case is being investigated by a Public Ministry–Prosecutor's Office special team under Anticorruption Prosecutor Hamilton Castro.
According to the Comptroller General's Office, public work contracts signed with Brazilian engineering company Odebrecht between 1988 and 2015 led to an alleged US$283-million economic loss for Peru.
(END) SMA/RMB
Published: 1/21/2017