Deputy Harvey Colchado Huamani has been selected as one of six members of the newly defined Ethics Commission in Peru's Chamber of Deputies, the lower legislative body announced following a decision by its Board of Spokespersons.
Chaired by Oscar Reto Otero, the Board of Spokespersons determined that the ethics panel will feature one representative from each of the six parliamentary groups in the lower house, serving a two-year term.
The appointed members of the lower house panel are Mery Infantes Castaneda of Fuerza Popular, Cesar Tito Rojas of Juntos por el Peru, Edwin Espinoza Huillca of Partido del Buen Gobierno, Javier Cipriani Thorne of Renovacion Popular, Heber Lopez Letona of Obras, and Colchado representing Ahora Nacion. Anali Marquez, first vice president of the Chamber of Deputies, announced that the full Plenary of the lower house will meet on August 5 to ratify the commission appointments.
Domestic abuse investigation
Speaking on July 31 before the final committee roster was announced, Colchado stated that the Chamber of Deputies would launch an investigation into Deputy Julian Perez of Juntos por el Peru. Perez faces a formal complaint over alleged domestic violence and psychological abuse against his former partner.
Colchado assured reporters that Congress would ensure a full inquiry through the Ethics Commission and enforce appropriate sanctions if Perez is found responsible, emphasizing that no lawmaker would receive protection. He added that the panel would address the case as one of its first orders of business, declaring that legislators would indeed hold their colleagues accountable.
Colchado, who serves as second vice president on the Congressional Directing Board, noted that leadership was completing the setup of standing committees. He stated that the ethics panel would take up the case immediately upon installation.
In a parallel action, lawmaker Christian Aranda Vasquez of Renovacion Popular submitted a formal ethics complaint against Perez Mallqui through the Congressional Document Processing Office. The filing asks for a 120-legislative-day suspension without pay for the deputy representing Cusco, with the matter set for referral to the Ethics Commission once installed.
Senate ethics panel selection
The Senate Board of Spokespersons, chaired by Miguel Angel Torres Morales, separately resolved that the upper house Ethics Commission will also comprise six members, with one delegate per political party. The individual appointees for the Senate panel have not yet been named.
Senator Ruth Luque of Ahora Nacion told reporters that if her parliamentary group is not selected to chair any standing committee in the Senate, they will ask to head a special commission, such as Constitutional Accusations, Ethics, or Political Control. Luque explained that while initial calculations suggested her party might not qualify for a standing committee presidency, fairness requires assigning them leadership of a special commission if those projections hold.
Legislative oversight role
The Ethics Commission in Peru's legislative branch serves as the primary internal body responsible for enforcing conduct standards, evaluating ethical complaints against lawmakers, and recommending disciplinary action to the full chamber. Under Peruvian congressional procedures, ethics panels in both the lower and upper houses operate with proportional representation across party lines to review alleged misconduct during legislative sessions.
