Overview
- Investigative reporting by Panorama presents expert analysis showing the 2005 book attributed to José María Balcázar mirrors his son’s 2004 thesis, with identical chapters, footnotes and bibliography.
- César Bazán Seminario describes the work as a wholesale appropriation with no original contribution, characterizing it as a “robo de ideas.”
- The book, titled Medidas Autosatisfactivas and published by Editorial Rodas, was reportedly used to boost Balcázar’s academic score while applying to be a supreme court judge before the now-defunct CNM, and it was dedicated to his son.
- Ex–supreme judge Iván Sequeiros says that detection at the time would have initiated a criminal process and resulted in dismissal from the Judiciary.
- Balcázar, who assumed the interim presidency on February 18 after a congressional vote, has not responded as media outlets amplify the report and political pressure grows.