Police Suboficial sentenced to five years imprisonment for extorting bribe in San Juan de Miraflores
A police officer was sentenced to five years in prison after demanding 3,000 soles from a drunk driver in SJM to avoid sanctions. He must also pay 9,000 soles in civil compensation.
Suboficial detained at SJM police station after receiving bribe
A suboficial of the National Police of Peru (PNP) was sentenced to five years of imprisonment for having received 3,000 soles from a driver stopped for driving under the influence in San Juan de Miraflores, according to willax.pe. The officer demanded the money in exchange for avoiding the fine, vehicle impoundment, and cancellation of the citizen's driving licence.
The Judicial Power found him responsible for the crime of passive bribery proper in the exercise of police functions. The sentence includes, in addition to the prison term, five years of disqualification from exercising public functions and payment of 9,000 soles for civil compensation, an amount requested by the Public Prosecutor's Office during the proceedings.
Demanded 4,000 soles and received 3,000
According to investigations by the Public Ministry, the officer — identified by the initials P. S. U. — initially requested 4,000 soles from the driver who was pulled over. The amount finally delivered amounted to 3,000 soles, a sum that led to the suboficial being detained in flagrante delicto inside the San Juan de Miraflores police station itself, where he was working.
The case was classified as passive bribery proper in the exercise of police functions, according to information from the Second Office of the Specialised Provincial Corporate Prosecutor's Office for Crimes of Corruption of Public Officials of South Lima.
Prosecutors and municipal surveillance cameras key to conviction
The proceedings were conducted by provincial assistant prosecutors Jimmy Mansilla Castañeda and Efraín Rivasplata Mora. During the investigation, the Prosecutor's Office compiled documents that made it possible to identify the police officers involved.
Among the evidence were video surveillance recordings from the District Municipality of San Juan de Miraflores. Those images proved decisive in supporting the accusation. The suboficial remained seven months in preventive detention whilst the judicial process advanced.
Legal framework: sentences of up to 12 years for corrupt officers
In Peru, police officers who solicit or accept money in exchange for failing to perform their duties may incur the crime of passive bribery proper in the exercise of police functions. According to criminal legislation, this conduct carries sentences of between six and twelve years in prison, in addition to disqualification and daily fines, depending on the circumstances and the legal classification of the case.
The citizen who delivers money to a public official to obtain an undue benefit may, for his part, incur the crime of active bribery, which also provides for criminal sanctions.
Disciplinary regime parallel to criminal proceedings
In parallel with criminal proceedings, the General Inspectorate of the PNP applies the disciplinary regime established in Law 30714, which regulates infractions and sanctions within the institution. The collection of bribes can be classified as a very serious infraction and, depending on the corresponding administrative procedure, can result in the officer being placed in retirement status as a disciplinary measure, which implies the permanent separation of the officer and the end of his police career.
The San Juan de Miraflores case highlights the role of internal controls and fiscal investigations in detecting acts of corruption within the National Police of Peru.
Source: Google News PR — San Juan