Peruvian President Roberto Sanchez is accused of financial fraud | Election News

A prosecutor is calling for a left-wing candidate to be jailed for five years and four months for financial fraud.

Peru’s public prosecutor’s office has accused leftist presidential candidate Roberto Sanchez of financial crimes, calling for five years and four months in prison.

The charge, which was not updated on Tuesday, came hours after election officials confirmed that Sanchez was on his way to the country. presidential electionscheduled for June 7.

According to El Comercio newspaper, prosecutors say Sanchez, who is a candidate for the Juntos por el Peru (Together in Peru) party, submitted false financial information to the National Office of Electoral Processes regarding campaign contributions between 2018 and 2020.

Prosecutors say Sanchez and his brother, William Sanchez, received more than 280,000 Peruvian soles ($81,720) in donations and membership fees that were not disclosed in party financial statements.

Sanchez is also accused of perjury in administrative proceedings.

In addition to prison time, prosecutors are also seeking the “removal” of Sanchez from being president of the Juntos por el Peru party, according to El Comercio.

Sanchez’s lawyer denied the allegations, telling the RPP that the party’s treasurer, not Sanchez, was the one who created his financial records.

A judge is expected to issue a ruling on May 27 if the case goes to trial.

The charges came to light as a tally of votes from last month’s primary election showed Sanchez leading the race against Keiko Fujimori.

With 99.76 percent of the votes counted, Fujimori, the daughter of former president Alberto Fujimori and a four-time presidential candidate, led with 17.17 percent of the vote.

Sanchez, running with the support of former prison president Pedro Castillo, stood at 12 percent, slightly ahead of former Lima Mayor Rafael Lopez Aliaga at 11.91 percent, about 15,000 votes.

The final results are expected on May 15.