Criminal probe focuses on Peru's new vice president

A corruption scandal unfolding in Peru involving one of the country's vice presidents has rocked the three-month- old government of Ollanta Humala.

Over the weekend, a well- respected journalist, Gustavo Gorriti, published allegations on his investigative-journalism website, IDL-Reporteros, charging Peru's first vice president, Omar Chehade, of trying to throw a judicial case over a sugar plantation in favor of a large wealthy family.

Peru's attorney general has announced that it will open an investigation into allegations that Chehade met with two top police generals at a Lima restaurant to discuss the possibilities of evicting the administrators of the Andahuasi sugar plantation, located just north of the capital. The plantation, which belongs to the Wong family, is currently under a judicial protective order until a labor dispute can be resolved.

On Monday night, Chehade called the allegations lies and said that they were meant to "destabilize" Ollanta's government and jeopardize the ongoing reforms at the police department. Just last week, Ollanta sacked 30 police generals in a nationwide purge against corruption.

One of the generals who reportedly met with Chehade, Guillermo Arteta, said that the vice president offered that the Wong family would pay for the mobilization of 5,000 officers. Arteta said he declined to take part in the operation because he told Chehade that he couldn't act without a court order.

Congress has also opened an inquiry into the charges.