Overview
- A first-instance court convicted Congress president Fernando Rospigliosi of aggravated defamation and set a nine-month prison term that is suspended for one year, with a spoken reference to nine years during the hearing later described as an error.
- The sentence orders S/200,000 in civil damages, 100 days of fines and court costs, and conduct rules that require biometric check-ins every 60 days, no change of address, and notice before leaving the city.
- The case stems from Rospigliosi calling former attorney general Delia Espinoza an ally of terrorism and illegal economies, which the judge said was not a legitimate political critique.
- Congress is funding his legal defense under a board agreement that treats the remarks as tied to his role, and the rules require him to repay the money if a higher court confirms a final conviction.
- Rospigliosi has appealed and attacked the ruling on social media as political, leaving a higher court to decide whether to uphold the verdict in a system where criminal defamation can still bring custodial penalties.