Thirteen former members of Peru's Congress claimed a combined S/655,200 in funeral benefit payments for the deaths of close relatives during the last legislative term, according to an investigation by Latina Noticias.
Each of the 13 former lawmakers received a bonus of S/62,400 to cover expenses tied to the death of a parent or a child. The report found the payment is regulated under rules dating back to 2009 and is disbursed from Congress's own budget.
The benefit exists even though members of Congress already hold insurance, contracted through the company Rímac, that covers up to S/14,000 in costs linked to the death of a close relative.
Expert questions the payout
Iván Lanegra, secretary of the civil association Transparencia, told the programme that the benefit lacks justification once lawmakers are already covered by other means. He said that if a lawmaker already receives funeral expenses through another channel, there is no reason to also collect this subsidy, which is set out under Legislative Decree 276. He added that the decree was designed for families who lose a member, and questioned whether members of Congress warrant the payment.
Transparencia is a Peruvian civil society organisation that monitors public institutions and government spending.
Who received the payments
The investigation named the former lawmakers who benefited: Edwin Martínez of Acción Popular, Edgard Reymundo of Juntos por el Perú, Guido Bellido of Podemos Perú, Patricia Juárez of Fuerza Popular, Germán Tacuri of Perú Libre, Idelso García of Alianza para el Progreso, Carlos Zeballos of Cooperación Popular, David Jiménez of Fuerza Popular, Gladys Echaíz of Renovación Popular, Eduardo Acate of Alianza para el Progreso, Roselli Amuruz of Avanza País, Marcos Pichilingue of Fuerza Popular and María Taipe of Perú Libre.
Different terms, different Congress
Acate and Pichilingue served in the 2020-2021 Congress, the body that emerged after then-President Martín Vizcarra dissolved the legislature in 2019. Amuruz and Echaíz, by contrast, claimed only S/31,200 of the subsidy for the death of a relative and did not claim the separate burial subsidy.
Two of the 13 are now sitting in Peru's new Congress: David Jiménez and Patricia Juárez, both senators for Fuerza Popular, the conservative party aligned with Keiko Fujimori. Peru's legislature has since moved to a bicameral structure made up of a Senate and a Chamber of Deputies.
