Ex president denies seeking political asylum
Ex President, Ernesto Perez Balladares under investigation in Panama for alleged money laundering, denied Sunday (April 11) that he was seeking political asylum in Peru.
"That is not true I have come for personal reasons, to visit and to do some sightseeing," he said.
Perez Balladares, who was recently under house arrest for 75 days got permission from the Special Prosecutor for Organized Crime to leave Panama from April 11 to 15, was speaking to an efe news agency reporter on arrival at the Jorge Chavez international airport in Lima
The former leader he had nothing to hide and said it seems that it was "fashionable" to process presidents. "I do not want to speculate on anything, let’s give it time and let the justice of my country handle things" he said.
Suspended Attorney General Ana Matilde Gomez who had never been under house arrest and wanted to attend a Human Rights seminar in Washington DC to talk about justice in Panama, was denied travel permission.
After leaving the airport in Lima, Perez Balladares checked into a hotel in the Peruvian capital.