Research unit
Today marks one month of coup d’état by Pedro Castillo. On December 31, before the end of 2022, and in the midst of a busy work schedule, the commanding general of the National Police of Peru (PNP), General Raúl Alfaro Alvarado, received El Comercio in his office of the Ministry of the Interior, where he told details of his participation in the events of December 7 that ended with the then president being vacated, arrested and denounced for the crimes of rebellion. and conspiracy.
—Did you have a crucial role in the arrest of Pedro Castillo following he announced the closure of Congress?
On December 7, I was isolated in my office because I had COVID-19. I was working, analyzing the situation of the southern mining corridor because it is an area that is in constant conflict [social] […]. In that circumstance, the police high command arrived and I let them pass. The Chief of the General Staff, General Vicente Álvarez, entered; the head of the General Advisory Command, General Jorge Luis Angulo; there was also the one from the Directorate of Communication and Image, Colonel [Edison] Hernández, and my personal secretary, Colonel [Miguel Ángel] Bryson. They entered to inform me that the president had just delivered a message to the nation announcing the closure of Congress and to ask me what the position of the command was […]in that a call to my cell phone from the Minister of the Interior entered [Willy Huerta]. He told me that he was going to communicate with the President of the Republic, he put me through to the President and he told me: “General, you have to give security to my relatives.” [También al] address where his parents were, in the provinces as well, to the first [Betssy Chávez] already someone else […]to Anibal Torres.
“What else did you ask for?”
He told me to close Congress, to remove those who were inside and to intervene with the National Prosecutor and the prosecutor’s office. So I asked him what the reason for the intervention was, and he told me: “These details are going to be given to you by the Minister of the Interior.” He handed me over to the minister, who told me: “We’ll talk later,” and the communication was cut off. So I was here with all the officers, and I told them what the president had told me. I immediately told them that for no reason might the functioning of Congress be obstructed. We are going to guarantee that Congress meets freely. Rather, that security measures be increased on Abancay avenue and its surroundings to prevent some protesters from trying to prevent the free functioning of Congress, as in the Plaza de Armas, and that security should be given to all the people who they were politically exposed at this juncture.
“Did they summon you to a meeting at the Joint Command of the Armed Forces?”
At that time, since he was isolated by COVID-19, he might not go out to direct operations on the street, so the chief of the General Staff and the head of the Advisory Command went. They immediately went to the Joint Command and I told them the measures they had to take to avoid any difficulties and any questioning.
—Did you communicate with the officers who provided security for the president?
Coordination began with the head of intelligence, with the security personnel of the head of state, with intelligence personnel stationed in those places. It was already certain that the president was in the Government Palace. Since the message to the nation had been produced, we evaluated whether this behavior implied the commission of a crime and some coordination was made.
“So you contacted the Public Ministry?”
Not me, the unit in charge of investigating is one that depends on State Security, in charge of Colonel Wilson Sánchez. […] This was done because it is the procedure that corresponds to the police, arrest in flagrante delicto. Immediately [se] reported the arrest to the Public Ministry, which assumed the conduct of the investigation from that moment and validated the arrest.
—At that time there was information that Castillo was going to the Mexican Embassy. How did he end up being detained at the headquarters of the Lima Police Region?
I contacted General Angulo. He had already told the director of Intelligence that: that the arrest was coming here and it was necessary to stop [si] was already located. [Castillo] he was accompanied by the colonel, head of his escort. It seems that they were leaving in the direction of the Mexican Embassy, but when I reached Wilson Avenue, when I contacted General Angulo, he told me that yes, he was indeed taken to the Lima Police Department.
—Did Castillo protest on the way? Because clearly they weren’t taking him to the embassy.
The indication that was given to him at first was that it was for his safety. In addition, he was told that the conditions were not in the streets for him to complete the displacement. Did you know they were taking him into custody? Not at the beginning. There he was notified of the ballot of his arrest. There was the colonel, the head of the presidential escort, and the noncommissioned officers that made up the escort.
—At some point, did you coordinate the arrest of Castillo with the Joint Command of the Armed Forces?
I did not communicate with the Joint Command or with any general of the Armed Forces. They had the meeting at the headquarters of the Joint Command with the chief of the PNP General Staff because I was isolated. He went to the coordination meeting with General Angulo and there they were, deliberating a joint position. Castillo’s arrest was a job for the entire police force because several officers participated. Imagine if we hadn’t acted quickly, today the former president would be on the run.
Are there demonstrations scheduled from January 4? [Nota: la entrevista se hizo el 31 de diciembre]
We try to avoid having a social cost as much as possible, but these groups of people are looking more for that.