Cablegate: Opposition Apra Party Decides to Drop Proposed

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS LIMA 002342

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PINS PE
SUBJECT: OPPOSITION APRA PARTY DECIDES TO DROP PROPOSED
SANCTIONS AGAINST TOLEDO IN FALSE SIGNATURES CASE UNTIL HE
LEAVES OFFICE

REF: LIMA 2282

Sensitive but Unclassified. Please protect accordingly.

1. (U) APRA Congresswoman (and Chairwoman of the party's
Political Committee) Mercedes Cabanillas announced 5/25 that
the APRA legislative bloc had decided to drop its planned
resolution calling for a "political trial" of President
Alejandro Toledo on allegations that he was involved in
forging signatures to register his Pais Posible (now Peru
Posible) party for the 2000 elections (Reftel). Cabanillas
acknowledged that although APRA had originally recruited 40
legislators to sign the resolution at the conclusion of the
Congress Plenary's 5/18-19 session, many subsequently
withdrew their support, leaving APRA with an insufficient
number to proceed with any chance of success. It would be
better, she surmised, to wait until the next government takes
office to proceed against Toledo on political charges.

2. (SBU) APRA Congressman and legislative bloc leader Cesar
Zumaeta, in a conversation with Polcouns earlier that day,
had indicated that APRA would be dropping its attempt to
sanction Toledo politically. Zumaeta, who according to a
Presidency source was one of those pushing hardest to go
after the President, appeared resigned to this development.
"We'll leave Toledo in peace to finish his term," Zumaeta
declared, implying that once the President leaves office the
gloves will be off.

3. (SBU) COMMENT: APRA's decision to drop its "political
trial" proposal should postpone further congressional
consideration of the false signatures case until Toledo's
term ends, provided, of course, that additional evidence and
accusations do not/not surface before then implicating the
President. Such evidence/accusations could conceivably be
raised in the ongoing criminal investigation/prosecution of
Toledo's sister Margarita and other GOP and Peru Posible
officials accused of complicity in the forgeries and/or in
connection with an attempt to obstruct justice by
facilitating the temporary flight of a key witness. END
COMMENT.
STRUBLE

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