Just 11 months ago, Peru witnessed a tug of war between President Martín Vizcarra and the country’s lawmakers. After anti-corruption legislation was blocked, Mr. Vizcarra dissolved Congress, and managed to block an attempt to remove him from office. But now lawmakers might get their way, as Mr. Vizcarra faces impeachment proceedings for “moral incapacity,” after he tried to obstruct a Congress-led corruption probe.
The case was called after the head of Congress, Manuel Merino, received leaked audio recordings in which the president appears to discuss ways to cover up the misuse of public funds.
In the audio clips, he is heard telling advisers to lie while giving their testimony to a parliamentary hearings committee — downplaying details of his office’s hiring of a little-known singer, Richard Cisneros, to deliver pro-government motivational talks. Mr. Cisneros was reportedly paid PEN 175,400 (USD 49,500). To make matters worse, the contracts were made during the pandemic.
The case could result in the end of an administration marked by chaos from the start. Mr. Vizcarra took office in March 2018, after then-President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski resigned to avoid...
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