Overview
- Four Senate caucuses — Juntos por el Perú, Buen Gobierno, Ahora Nación and Obras — formally presented the removal request to Senate President Miguel Torres on Thursday and Friday.
- The petition rests on two main charges: an August 27 interview in which Ombudsman Josué Gutiérrez said a presidential closure of Congress could raise approval and save S/3,000 million, and a Contraloría control report publicized by Cuarto Poder that alleges irregular hiring and later payroll incorporations tied to prior contact with the Defensoría.
- Gutiérrez apologized earlier in September for his public remarks, and separate constitutional complaints have been filed against him by senators including Mirtha Vásquez and congresswoman Analí Márquez.
- Under Senate rules the case must be sent to the Commission of Procedimientos Especiales, which has up to 30 business days to gather evidence and hear descargos before the full Senate can vote, and removal would require two-thirds support or 40 of 60 senators.
- The dispute tests Peru’s separation of powers because the Defensoría is a constitutional rights watchdog, and a successful removal would immediately strip Gutiérrez of office while raising wider questions about political pressure, institutional oversight and public trust in accountability bodies.