Press Review of the Americas

In the News: the return of former Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo scrutinized by the press

Former Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo, after being extradited from the United States, on April 23, 2023 in Lima. © Poder Judicial del Peru/Handout via REUTERS

Text by: Aabla Jounaïdi Follow

6 min

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The return to Peru of former President Alejandro Toledo, after his extradition from the United States on Sunday, April 23, was followed minute by minute by the press. Prosecuted for alleged corruption, Alejandro Toledo was heard by the National High Court for an identity check. He was then transferred by helicopter to Barbadillo prison in the capital, Lima, where he will have to serve 18 months of pre-trial detention. When he left the hearing, many journalists were waiting for him. And the tension was palpable, as reported by the newspaper La Republica.

Two former members of the government, David Waisman and Carlos Almerí, "had an altercation in which the former defense minister even threatened with a punch" his former colleague. In question, says the newspaper, accusations of corruption made by the former Minister of Labor. This is also what the extradited former president is accused of: having received millions of dollars to award construction contracts to the Brazilian company Odebrecht, a vast scandal, eponymous, which goes beyond the borders of Peru.

Barbadillo, the "prison of presidents"

Alejandro Toledo will live with two other heads of state. Alberto Fujimori, the former dictator who is serving a 25-year sentence for corruption and especially crimes against humanity, and Pedro Castillo, in pre-trial detention for corruption as well. The Argentine newspaper Pagina Doce notes the irony of seeing a former president who had championed the fight against corruption and dictatorship, cohabiting with the former tyrant. Toledo denies the charges against him and above all, like the former dictator, he pleads ill health. "Don't kill me in prison," he pleaded. Nevertheless, his conditions of detention will be very classic.

Colombia, at the centre of the diplomatic game

Talks launched in Mexico between Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his opposition have stalled. And Colombia and its president want to revive them. The objective is to agree as soon as possible on an electoral agenda accepted by all parties. At the maneuver, reports the Mexican daily El Universal, the Colombian president has sent invitations to part of the opposition. He met his representatives this weekend at his residence in Hato Grande. The opposition platform acknowledged that a presidential election was desirable in 2024. But only if democratic rules are respected.

An international conference in Bogotá

The organization of the elections is the main point of tension, because for Caracas, it is a question of giving the opposition its chances in the future election. For President Nicolas Maduro, this is not possible without a lifting of economic sanctions, which is slow to materialize. This Tuesday, in Bogota, the "International Conference on the Political Process in Venezuela" will bring together twenty invited countries. And the Mexican newspaper El Universalto recall that since the arrival of Gustavo Petro in power 8 months ago, no less than six meetings have taken place between the two neighboring heads of state.

The opportunity to underline, for the Mexican newspaper, the ambiguity of Petro's position. Through his political career, he shares many points in common with Chavismo. He asked for amnesty for the current members of the Maduro government; And at the same time, he supports political reforms designed to leave room for opponents. A middle position that is not unanimous on the continent, recalls the Mexican newspaper.

Tapachula to Mexico City

In Mexico, a caravan of 3000,35 migrants set off on Sunday to demand an end to detention centers. Leaving at dawn from the Mexican city of Tapachula, near the Guatemalan border, she crossed Chiapas in a heat of more than 40 degrees. Direction Mexico. What distinguishes this caravan from the many that preceded it, according to the Mexican edition of the newspaper El Pais, is that it takes place a month after the fire at the detention center in Ciudad Juarez, on the US border. This disaster had caused 27 deaths. "On March <>, the state killed," the placards read. The responsibility of the police is particularly pointed out by the demonstrators, Haitians, Venezuelans or Ecuadorians.

Debt ceiling alert

In the United States, the US debt ceiling remains at the heart of a battle between Republicans and Democrats. And it risks stuck, the Washington Post understands. For the Biden administration, the challenge is not to be imposed a budget limit, at the risk of trapping the administration. But it is still necessary to ally the moderate Republicans, whose political family took control of the House of Representatives last January.

According to Jeff Stein's article, Republicans, led by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, are calling for budget cuts. But in this game, the risk is greater for Republicans than for Democrats, because the danger of plunging the markets, and therefore the economy, is far too great, concludes the newspaper.

Haitians cheated

Haitians who bet on cryptocurrencies have lost everything. Testimonials to read in the online newspaper Loopnews. Since the disappearance of the "Cryptocurrency Quant Robot" platform, thousands of them have seen the money they had bet fly away. "I collapsed, I lost 191 US dollars," says one of the unfortunate investors.

Like this woman, many had been tempted by publicity, and what presented itself as free training. In reality, sessions to encourage them to invest their savings, against the promise of quick wins in the future. A message that carries in a country where the economic crisis and the lack of prospects for young people are raging.

SpaceX's rocket and its ground damage

We finish talking about the new rocket of SpaceX, Elon Musk's company, which exploded after its launch last Thursday. The most powerful rocket in history had launched from the launch pad built by the company in Boca Chica, Texas. And it is precisely the consequences on this launch pad that interest our colleagues at the local public radio, Texas Public Radio, of the NPR network. The heavy damage resulted in debris being thrown several kilometres around. The radio reports the concern of the inhabitants in the vicinity. Dust, rubble, fell in their vicinity.

Another problem is that this infrastructure is adjacent to a protected natural area that seems to have been affected as well. The radio reveals that the US Federal Aviation Agency, which gives the licenses for these rocket flights, has opened an investigation into possible breaches of the environmental protection plan that SpaceX had to put in place to proceed with the launch.

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• Peru
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