This Tuesday, Peru’s Attorney General Patricia Benavides filed an official constitutional complaint against President Pedro Castillo, alleging that he was running a criminal organization for personal gain from his position of power, reports BBC. The complaint, posted on Twitter by the Ministerio Público (MP), said, “We have found serious indications of the alleged existence of a criminal organization entrenched in the government palace with the purpose of monopolizing, controlling and steering bidding processes in order to obtain illicit gains.” Presidential immunity currently protects Castillo, but would not apply if he is suspended. Castillo has already survived two impeachment attempts in his 14 months in office, and faces an uphill battle in Congress, where only 65 out of 130 votes are needed to suspend him from office, as opposed to the 87 votes needed for impeachment. However, it is unclear whether Congress will vote to suspend Castillo; as Simeon Tegel at the Washington Post writes, “The majority of Congress is ultraconservative and viscerally hostile to Castillo. But with many lawmakers keen to see out their terms, due to end in 2026, it is unclear whether they will approve the constitutional complaint and risk the possibility of early elections.” Castillo has denied the accusations and moved to issue a court injunction against the complaint, reports La República. If the motion to suspend Castillo is successful, Peru would likely be on track to get its sixth president in six years. 

The move by the Attorney General and the Ministerio Público is significant, as it is “the first of its kind against a sitting president,” says El País. Peru’s presidents enjoy immunity from prosecution while in office, except for the constitutionally-outlined crimes of treason, canceling elections, or closing congress. Though the MP is a historically independent institution, Will Freeman on Twitter outlines two main problems with its actions: “If Congress now votes to suspend Castillo for a reason not listed in the constitution (again, treason, canceling elections, or closing congress), it would set a dangerous precedent: In the future, just the *opening* of a corruption probe would be enough to boot a president,” he writes. Second, the Attorney General herself has been the target of corruption speculations, as she has moved to shut down investigations into corruption within the judiciary, as well as investigations into her family members. 

More Peru

• The Economist highlights a new report that outlines the impact of coca leaf production – which is used to make cocaine – on the lives of children in coca-growing areas. 

Argentina

• With Argentine presidential elections next year and a teetering economy at high risk of default, Economy Minister Sergio Massa “is the only thing standing between Argentina and chaos,” writes Bello at the Economist. 
  
  
• Argentina’s mining exports reached its highest level since 2013, earning over $2.8 billion, announced the Mining Ministry on Twitter.

The Bahamas

• A retroactive minimum wage increase will be placed in effect in the Bahamas in January 2023, increasing from $210 to $260 per week, reports AP.  

Brazil

• Alexandre de Moraes, the head of the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), has barred investigations by the Federal Police and the Cade (Administrative Council for Economic Defense) into research institutes that conduct polling, a politicized effort that had been driven by Bolsonarismo in an effort to discredit polls, reports Folha.

El Salvador

• The Bukele administration transferred four MS-13 leaders from prison to a private hospital in San Salvador during the middle of the March 2022 weekend in which the gang murdered 87 people, sparking the still-active state of exception in the country, reports El Faro. Previous investigations revealed that these leaders had been regularly transferred to hospitals for short periods of time despite having a clean bill of health. 
  
  
• Bitcoin adoption remains limited in El Salvador, with the government losing “around $60 million on its bitcoin bet one year into a nationwide crypto experiment,” according to NBC. 

Haiti

• The Biden administration “says talk of U.S. troop deployment to Haiti ‘premature,’” despite preparations for “for the possibility of the country’s potential collapse,” says Miami Herald. 
  
  
• “Two gangs have coordinated an amphibious attack on a key industrial area north of Haitian capital Port-au-Prince, igniting a battle with security forces to stop another suburb from falling under criminal governance… The attack on Moulins d’Haiti fits a pattern of behavior by gangs to shut down infrastructure, either to establish control or secure a hefty payday,” says InSight Crime.

Jamaica

• “Jamaica’s broadcasting regulator has banned music and TV broadcasts deemed to glorify or promote criminal activity, violence, drug use, scamming and weapons,” reports AP, noting that artists have criticized the measure as it censors the reality of people’s lives. “Jamaica has implemented such bans previously, including one in 2009. McGregor, 32, said his own music has been banned from airwaves throughout his career for making mentions of sex and guns, but said restrictions never really lasted.” 

Mexico 

• A deal with the European Commission could give Mexico access to European pharmaceutical companies, which would in turn allow Mexico to produce vaccines and medicines locally, reports Reuters. 
  
  
• Conversion therapy is on track to be banned in Mexico following a Senate vote earlier this week, with 69 votes in favor, two against, and 16 abstentions, according to Bloomberg. The bill will now go to the lower house for further deliberation. 
  
  
• Mexico’s National Guard is one step closer to remaining on the country’s streets until 2028 following Congressional approval, report BBC. The bill must still be passed by state legislatures in order to become law. 

Migration

• Migration to the US-Mexico border has changed dramatically over the last decade, writes Adam Isacson at WPR, explaining the increasing prevalence of asylum seeking and migration from South America and the Caribbean, as well as arguing that “Title 42 needs to end,” among other recommendations. 
  
  
• In a new statement, WOLA “is alarmed by the Biden administration’s response to the record numbers of Venezuelan migrants and refugees arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border, which seeks to bring the numbers down at all costs rather than adopting measures to reopen the border to access asylum or other forms of protection. The Mexican government’s acceptance of Venezuelans under Title 42 expulsions once again demonstrates its willingness to do the U.S. bidding on migration enforcement, even at the expense of the safety and well-being of migrants and asylum seekers.” 
  
  
• In his Wednesday daily briefing, AMLO stressed that although Mexico is not changing its immigration policies, the government is working to curb undocumented immigration to avoid being pulled into US election rhetoric, according to Reuters. 

Nicaragua

• The European Union has extended the timeline of sanctions against 21 individuals and 3 institutions in Nicaragua, including vice president Rosario Murillo, reports AP. 

Regional

• InSight Crime explores a recent surge in counterfeit US dollars in Venezuela and Ecuador, explaining the differences between the two countries’ experiences. 
  
  
• Coca pays more than most legal crops, and cocaine production has grown in recent years, report The Economist, highlighting the growing public statements declaring the war on drugs as failed. 

Venezuela

• “The Venezuelan government on Wednesday objected to what it called an “arbitrary decision” by a U.S. court that approved a calendar for auctioning shares in the parent of Houston-based refiner Citgo Petroleum, which is owned by Venezuela,” reports Reuters, noting that the move is “a step toward the possible breakup of the seventh-largest U.S. oil refiner to pay for expropriation judgments, even though lawyers representing the Venezuelan government had objected to the proposal.” 

Arianna Kohan y Jordi Amaral / Latin America Daily Briefing
http://latinamericadailybriefing.blogspot