Ex-Peru president Vizcarra appears before prosecutors

Former Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra has appeared before a prosecutor to testify over bribery allegations. Earlier this week he was impeached for accepting 655,000 US dollars in bribes from two consortiums.

Lima: Ousted Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra, who was impeached earlier this week, appeared before a prosecutor to testify over bribery allegations, and ruled out leaving the country.

"As a citizen, I am not going to leave the country, I am not going to go to any embassy or get admitted into a clinic. I am going to be at my home contributing to the investigation," Xinhua news agency quoted Vizcarra as saying to reporters on Thursday outside the office of prosecutor German Juarez.

Read:|Peru president to quit office before impeachment

The former President is under investigation for allegedly accepting 2.3 million soles ($655,000) in bribes from two consortiums seeking public works contracts when he was Governor of the southern Moquegua region from 2011 to 2014.

Vizcarra was impeached by the Congress on Monday.

The opposition's motion to impeach the former leader was backed by 105 of Peru's 130 lawmakers, more than the 87 votes required for removal.

On Tuesday, Manuel Merino, president of the Congress, assumed the presidency.

Also on Thursday, Merino swore in his new Ministers on Thursday, who will serve his transitional government until July 28, 2021.

Read:|Peruvians protest after Merino is sworn in as president

After the ceremony, Merino urged Peruvians to remain calm and promised that his transitional government will work to solve the country's problems.

"We Peruvians want to regain peace of mind. We want to be able to give those young people who have lost thousands of jobs the opportunity to take the necessary steps in this transitional government to be able to leave the country on track," he said.

Meanwhile, thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in the Peruvian capital of Lima for a third consecutive day on Thursday, protesting the new interim government of president Manuel Merino.

Demonstrators marched peacefully through the streets under the surveillance of riot police.

IANS