Overview
- An investigation by Cuarto Poder detailed a congressional plan to buy 4,500 prepaid consumption cards at S/1,900 each for December, totaling S/8.55 million for staff and legislators.
- Each legislator is set to receive up to S/46,900 in December from salary, a matching legal gratification, a S/11,000 congressional function bonus, S/2,800 for representation week and the S/1,900 card.
- Congress has asked the Executive for S/700 million to cover these disbursements and other obligations under the collective agreement, which the Comptroller does not oversee.
- Procurement terms require the cards to carry at least one year of validity with security features, nationwide acceptance for purchases and daily customer service under the welfare plan.
- Outlays for the 4,500 cards have risen from about S/7 million in 2023 to S/8.334 million in 2024 and S/8.55 million in 2025, prompting criticism given recently announced austerity measures.