Overview
- Judge Juan Carlos Checkley declared Pedro Castillo’s procedural challenge unfounded, keeping the consolidated probe into the PetroPerú, Puente Tarata and Housing cases on track.
- Castillo’s lawyers had asked to nullify all actions in the file and to end his pretrial detention, arguing the Supreme preparatory court’s setup and the judge’s provisional post violated his right to a competent judge.
- Checkley ruled that a cuestión previa — a pretrial motion under article 4 of Peru’s criminal code — only tests legal prerequisites to start a case, not court organization or judge appointments.
- The court noted that required steps to prosecute a former president were satisfied, including a constitutional complaint, a political pretrial process and congressional authorization to proceed.
- Earlier rulings that extended the investigation by 20 months and Castillo’s preventive detention by 12 months remain in force as prosecutors pursue allegations of criminal organization, aggravated influence peddling and collusion involving former ministers Juan Silva and Geiner Alvarado.