Peruvian lawmaker Milagros Santana faces a formal congressional investigation after ethics committee members voted unanimously to investigate her for alleged intimidation in Huaral.
The Congressional Ethics Committee approved the decision with five votes in favor, opening a formal investigation stage into Santana, a deputy representing the Good Government Party. The probe centers on allegations that she intimidated a municipal inspector during a traffic enforcement operation and subsequently directed threats at journalists covering the incident.
The session was led by committee chairman Henry Albañil Carmona of the Civic Works Party. During the same sitting, the parliamentary panel also agreed to admit ex officio complaints against two lawmakers from the Together for Peru party, Julián Pérez Mallqui and Catherin Palomino Casavilca.
In addition, committee members voted to make a hearing involving Pérez Mallqui private. That proceeding relates to an earlier investigation concerning his former partner, who reported suffering physical and psychological violence.
Investigation into the Huaral incident
The panel determined that sufficient evidence exists to advance the case against Santana to the evidentiary phase after video footage and images of the confrontation circulated widely on social media and news outlets. The Ethics Committee monitors conduct standards for members of the Congress of the Republic of Peru, the country's unicameral legislature.
Reading the qualification report during the session, the committee's technical secretary explained that the incident originated from a traffic violation and Santana's subsequent reaction toward municipal authorities in Huaral, a city located north of the capital city of Lima.
The technical secretary stated that preliminary analysis showed the reported deputy engaged in personal intimidation against a municipal inspector during an inspection operation. The document presented during the session also cited a formal statement from the National Association of Journalists of Peru, the primary organization representing media workers in the country.
The journalists' association expressed energetic rejection of actions taken by the Santana Vera law firm, which is linked to Santana, whose full name is Milagros Karina Santana Vera. The association stated that the law firm attempted to intimidate journalists who reported on her conduct, describing her behavior as reproachful for a high-ranking state official.
Justification and ethics code violations
The qualification report also incorporated an interview broadcast on the Peruvian investigative news program Panorama. In the broadcast, Santana admitted warning the municipal inspector that she would lose her job.
When questioned during the broadcast about whether her statement constituted an abuse of authority, Santana denied the allegation. She argued that municipal inspectors lacked traffic enforcement competencies and asserted that only traffic police officers had the legal authority to issue traffic fines to drivers.
The ethics panel rejected her justification, noting that her stance demonstrated a failure to acknowledge the gravity of her conduct or recognize a violation of parliamentary ethics rules. The committee emphasized that her actions fell short of the behavioral standards expected of elected representatives.
In its written evaluation, the committee specified that Santana failed to recognize that her actions could constitute an ethics breach. The panel noted that the facts involve the potential use of phrases incompatible with public order and good customs, which diminish parliamentary dignity and harm the public image of the Congress of the Republic.
Consequently, the committee concluded that Santana's conduct justifies opening a formal investigation for alleged violations of Articles 115, 117, and 118 of the Parliamentary Ethics Code, which govern public order, ethical conduct, and the dignity of legislative office.
Ex officio complaints and closed session
During the same working session, committee members formally accepted two new ex officio complaints against Together for Peru deputies Julián Pérez Mallqui and Catherin Palomino Casavilca, expanding the panel's caseload against members of the political coalition.
Following the approval of those measures, the committee transitioned into a private session to conduct an ongoing hearing regarding an earlier complaint filed against Pérez Mallqui.
Committee Chairman Henry Albañil Carmona requested the closed-door session under Article 50 of the Congressional Regulations. He proposed the measure to safeguard the rights of Pérez Mallqui's former partner and prevent her re-victimization while intimate aspects of the physical and psychological violence allegations were examined.
