The murder of a lawyer exposes alleged prostitution network in Peru’s Congress

A week ago, a car was intercepted by four hitmen in the district of La Victoria in Lima, the capital of Peru. The criminals fired around 60 shots at random. The driver died instantly while the passenger, a woman who was sitting in the back seat, still had vital signs despite having been shot in the head, back and arms. She was taken to the Intensive Care Unit of the 2 de Mayo hospital, where she died on Tuesday after a prolonged agony. At first, it was believed that it was just another case of contract killing; a taxi driver who refuses to pay an extortion fee and suffers the consequences, or something along those lines. But the death of Andrea Vidal Gómez has shaken the institution that is in charge of making laws in favor of citizens.

An investigation by the television program Beto a Saber has revealed that the driver was an unintentional victim and that the attack was actually directed against Andrea Vidal, a 28-year-old lawyer who until September had been an advisor in the Legal and Constitutional Office of the Congress of Peru. A former employee of the same department has revealed anonymously that the head of both, Jorge Torres Saravia, set up a prostitution ring in the hallways of Parliament, passing off women as secretaries or office workers in exchange for “providing services” to lawmakers. Andrea Vidal, known as La China, was the one who supposedly recruited them.

The Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Human Trafficking Crimes has opened a preliminary investigation against Torres Saravia, who, according to the complaint, allegedly had more than one conflict with the victim and that is why she was fired in September. Her murder has raised suspicions, and there are those who suspect that it was an attempt to silence her. According to the leak, one of the prostitutes hired by her office had meetings with Alejandro Soto, a lawmaker who was also the president of Congress until late July. “They [the hired women] went in and slept with people for a profit. One of them used to visit Alejandro Soto. You can corroborate this with the cameras and entry records,” said the source.

Both Jorge Torres Saravia and Alejandro Soto belong to Alliance for Progress, a political group led by César Acuña, the regional governor of La Libertad and owner of an educational conglomerate, who has been accused of plagiarism, money laundering and corruption. Alliance for Progress has one of the strongest representations in the House, and for that reason it wields a lot of influence. According to the investigative reporting, Torres Saravia is very close to Luis Valdez, secretary general of the party.

Last Friday, while Andrea Vidal was fighting for her life, Torres Saravia made a few statements. “I don’t hire them directly, Human Resources does that,” he said about the women who were victims of the network. He also said he only personally knew one of them. At that point, Torres Saravia had asked for a leave of absence, but his days as the head of the Legal and Constitutional Office of Congress were already numbered, and he was removed from his position. The current president of Congress, Eduardo Salhuana, announced the decision to remove Saravia from office and said that he “categorically reject these events that affect the morality, decency and image” of the institution. “We will not tolerate conduct that betrays the trust placed in us by Peruvians,” he added, without giving further details about the dismissal.

On Wednesday, following the death of Vidal, Juan Burgos, head of the Oversight Committee, stressed that he will thoroughly investigate the alleged prostitution network within Congress that “may have had the protection of the Board and its political allies.” He announced that at the next session on December 26, they will request the presence of the head of the Human Resources Office, as well as Saravia. “Let the truth be revealed, no matter who is responsible. Once the facts have been proven, the national representation must constitutionally accuse those who are responsible for having perverted Congress,” he said, requesting the support of the Attorney General, Delia Espinoza.

Juan Burgos also regretted that a person accused of sexual assault like Saravia has occupied a high-ranking position in Parliament. “We have to clean house,” he said. The journalist Alvina Ruiz was also categorical in this regard. “Torres was accused by a woman of drugging and sexually abusing her two years ago and, despite this, this individual continued working in Congress. Torres is accused of leading this alleged criminal network linked to sexual exploitation, which has an even more terrifying component and must be investigated: the exchange of advisors and secretaries between a few congressmen as part of the dynamics of abuse and objectification, which makes this case even more complex,” she wrote in an opinion column.

Alejandro Soto, who is accused of receiving sexual favors, has rejected the claims made by the investigative story. “As former president of Congress, I have never received clandestine visits, as they would have us believe. Each official is responsible for his actions in his private life and must personally answer to justice if necessary.” Soto has been investigated in the past for a series of alleged crimes: giving a job to the sister of the mother of his last child, voting in favor of the approval of a law that benefited him, and charging a fee to his office workers to pay for advertising on social media.

The Union of Workers of the Legislative Branch (SITRAPOL) also spoke out about the alleged pimping network within the Chamber. “The serious events reported show the vulnerability that affects workers of the organization or of the parliamentary service, whose working conditions often expose them to abuse and arbitrariness. The best way to prevent and avoid these situations is by establishing clear, transparent and predictable mechanisms to work in our institution,” they said.

Just like President Dina Boluarte, who will ring out the year with a 3% approval rating, the image of Congress is in the doldrums. A survey by the Institute of Peruvian Studies concluded that only 6% of citizens are satisfied with the performance of Congress. The murder of one of its former employees to silence her completes the collapse of the institution in the eyes of public opinion.

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