Congress

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is investigated for allegedly undue expenses

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Federal investigators are studying thousands of dollars in suspicious spending by former federal legislator Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Republican of Miami, that her political action committee spent on personal activities after the legislator announced her retirement in 2017, according to an investigation by the Department of Justice. Justice for allegedly spending campaign funds on personal trips and vacations for her and her family, CBS Miami has known.

Miami attorney Jeff Weiner said the Justice Department’s investigation into Ros-Lehtinen’s alleged spending of money from his political action committee’s campaign money on travel people has no basis in any criminal case.

“There may have been mistakes, but they weren’t penalties at all,” Weiner told the Miami Herald late Wednesday. It added that the former federal legislator and her staff have cooperated with federal authorities and released campaign finance records and other records required by the Justice Department.

Weiner said all of the expenses in question were for political activities and were duly reported to the Federal Elections Commission. “This should be an administrative matter,” he added.

Ros-Lehtinen, a prominent figure who served in the 20th Federal Congress, could not be reached for comment.

The news of the federal investigation of the Public Integrity Section of the Department of Justice in Washington DC was initially reported by CBS4 in Miami. A spokesman for the Justice Department declined to comment.

In a statement sent to CBS4 and later to the Miami Herald, Weiner said there is no evidence of anything improper on Ros-Lehtinen’s part.

“We are compiling the information requested by the Department of Justice and we are confident that if accounting errors were made, they were due to negligence, not intentional misconduct by the former former legislator or anyone on her staff, or her accountants,” Weiner said.

“In my team and I’s investigations of the facts in this matter, we have not found any evidence of intentional wrongdoing by Ileana or anyone on her behalf.”

After announcing on April 30, 2017 that she would not be running for re-election in 2018, Ros-Lehtinen transferred more than $ 177,000 from her re-election account to the IRL PAC, a political action committee that she controlled, according to CBS4. That is common practice when politicians announce their retirement. Some of the expenses of the IRL PAC are political in nature, but under federal law no campaign funds can be spent for “personal use.”

Spending reports from the IRL PAC show several questionable expenses, such as about $ 4,000 on a family trip to Disney World in December 2017, more than $ 10,000 rooms at the Lotte New York Palace in New York, about $ 6,000 on rooms at the Ritz-Carlton on Amelia Island in North Florida and another $ 28,000 at the W Hotel in South Beach.

Before leaving office, he spent $ 3,100 at MesaMar, a luxury seafood restaurant in Coral Gables, on New Year’s Eve 2018, according to the political committee’s expense report.

Ros-Lehtinen’s campaign expenditures were initially reported by Noah Pransky on Florida Politics page in June 2019. In turn, the Campaign Legal Center, a non-partisan group, filed a complaint in October this year against Ros-Lehtinen with the Federal Election Commission.

The group’s complaint alleges: “There is reason to believe that the IRL PAC” violated federal law “by using contributions for personal use, such as a family trip to Disney World and tens of thousands of dollars in luxury hotel expenses, none of which is apparently related to the candidacy duties of Representative Ros-Lehtinen or her duties in office “

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Politics: Merino responds to Martos: Fernando Belaunde would never have lied to p

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The president of the Congress of the Republic, Manuel Merino, pointed out that the former president of the Republic and historical leader of Popular Action, Fernando Belaunde, had not lied to the country or manipulated witnesses in his favor; this in response to what was said by the head of the Council of Ministers, Walter Martos, who indicated that “bad elements“They were going against the prestige that the aforementioned former head of state had.

, who was elected by Popular Action, this afternoon made a comparison between the current administration of the president and the profile of ex-president Belaunde Terry.

“Those of us who know who Belaunde was know that if this had happened in his one government, he would have accepted without fear coming to Congress, coming to respond and not hiding behind legumes. Secondly, he would never have lied to the country and thirdly, he would never have manipulated witnesses or surrounded himself with people like the ones we have seen. “, he said at a press conference.

Hours earlier, Prime Minister Walter Martos apologized to former President Fernando Belaunde Terry, because “bad elements” who currently represent his party would not be honoring his legacy.

During his speech this Saturday after the meeting of the Council of Ministers, Martos Ruiz described as “serious” that the head of Congress has called several high-ranking officers of the Armed Forces prior to the presentation of the vacancy motion against the president .

“Many of us in our youth have respected the democratic spirit of the architect Fernando Belaunde Terry and today our generation apologizes to him because bad elements are trying to tarnish his prestige ”, he asserted in a statement from the Government Palace.

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Politics: Vacancy for Martín Vizcarra | The new details of the presentation of

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Yesterday afternoon, Karem Roca, assistant to the presidential office and one of the officials closest to , participated in the virtual session of the Congressional Oversight Commission to talk about the audios featuring the head of state.

One of the most surprising questions was that of the legislator Marcos Pichilingue (FP), who asked if the Navy sucked the congressmen. Roca answered yes. “Since we arrived at the Palace, we received that information. Mr. (president) knows”, He assured.

The response of the institution was immediate and rejected the accusation. “TOIn view of the seriousness of these statements, the Navy has instructed its attorney to initiate legal actions against Mrs. Roca”, He declared.

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At the beginning of the session, the chair treated his guest with unusual confidence: “I know it is very uncomfortable for you … for you, Mrs. Karem, these kinds of questions. Did you record those audios?”.

Despite the fact that only Karem Roca and Martín Vizcarra participate in one of the audios, the official denied that she had made the recording. “I did not record them. I’d like you to move on to an expertise. They have come to me anonymously“, he claimed.

Asked by legislator José Ancalle (FA) about the date on which he would have received the material, Roca responded with some confusion: “Yesterday … the day I listened to the audios, on television … then they were left (laughs) and, well, I was pleasantly surprised that it was what I had heard in the media. Yesterday afternoon (I received them), I don’t have the time, but it was too late”.

Fernando Rospigliosi 11-09-2020

An additional detail that the assistant of PCM was that the meeting that was heard between Vizcarra, Mirian Morales and she was before she was invited for the first time to the Audit Commission.

In the morning, the singer Richard Cisneros assured that he was being used to carry out a “coup” against the Vizcarra administration.

“They are using me with a single objective: to achieve political power through a coup disguised as a vacancy”, He stated from outside his home, in San Isidro.

In addition, Swing assured that Karem Roca’s lawyer was Fabio Noriega, who would be part of the attack against the Government. This accusation was rejected by Vizcarra’s assistant; according to him, Noriega is just his friend.

This new character in the network is a 65-year-old lawyer, a native of Apurímac, who has lived and done business in Ayacucho and Lima. According to Public Records, he has sold up to seven cars and founded the company Corporación Andina de Combustible together with two partners. His wife is a militant registered with the PPC and neither of them has contracted with the State.

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Quintana Roo Congress approves Olimpia Law; it is already a crime to pass packs

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Quintana Roo /

The XVI Legislature of the Congress of Quintana Roo unanimously approved the well-known Olympia Law that criminalizes digital violence known as “revenge porn.” With this, the state becomes the 24th entity to sanction this crime.

The legislators approved with 23 votes in favor and unanimously to add chapter VIII of digital violence within the Penal Code to punish four to eight years in prison and a 200 to 500 day fine for anyone who disseminates, publishes, reveals, shares or alters audiovisual content, telephone conversations, voice recordings, aesthetic or moving images, of a sexual or erotic nature of another person of legal age without their consent through any information and communication technology or by any digital or printed means.

The penalties could be increased by 50 percent when the aggressor is the spouse, common-law partner or has had an emotional or trusting relationship with the victim.

The Olympia Law takes his name from his promoter Olimpia Coral Melo, who even published on their social networks “It is already a crime to spread packs without consent in Quintana Roo.”

The state Congress was attended by groups that added proposals to the initiative such as Marea Verde, Siempre Unidas, Gobernanza MX, Conversatorio Feminista Cancún, Coordinadora de Mujeres Mayas, Defenders of digital women, among others.

ledz

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Politics: Congressmen insist on wanting to tie up the Constitutional Court |

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The president of the Special Commission to select members of the Constitutional Court (), Rolando Ruiz (Popular Action), told Peru21 that he shares what was expressed by his co-religionist, the head of Congress , in which the elected lawyers must give the answers that the population expects, trying, in this way, to tie this body to the interests of the Legislature.

“It definitely has to be this way. The people have elected this Congress to eradicate all vice of corruption and if the people really ask for what they need, institutions like the TC must act for the benefit of the population, ”he said.

This Wednesday, the commission will work on the regulations that will establish criteria for qualifying the contest. The former president of TC, Ernesto Alvarez, indicated that to avoid possible pressure from Congress in the selection, in the first phase a technical criterion should prevail, where the best jurists are chosen according to their resume and personal interview. “Then another phase begins, which will have a political criterion, in which what Merino says can operate,” he said.

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On the other hand, Álvarez indicated that he has a “low expectation” about the process, but it does not close the possibility that “a good court” will be chosen.

Given:

– Lawyer Gerardo Távara He warned that, due to the questions raised against the commission, the selection process should be viewed “with care and concern.”

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“This is repeated in the extreme right in different parts of the world”

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This Saturday, during his visit to the Arica and Parinacota Region, the President Sebastián Piñera referred to the indications raised by the opposition regarding the Immigration and Immigration Law and he assured that he will veto them if they are finally approved.

On the occasion, the president said that those proposals “They constitute a true invitation to illegal immigration, which is precisely what we do not need and do not want.”

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In conversation with CNN Chile, Senator Juan Ignacio Latorre (RD), noted in this regard: “This is repeated in the extreme right in different parts of the world and Piñera used it in the campaign and he uses it again when his coalition is in a brutal crisis and two months into the plebiscite.”

“This bill has been in parliament for many years and now makes it urgent in the context of a pandemic with a assumption that migrants will come to invade us in an eventual post-pandemic recovery. That is very doubtful “, he claimed.

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Then, he accused: “It is not the first time that the government threatens a presidential veto when something it does not like that it democratically approves in parliament.”

Regarding the migrants who enter Chile and are wanted by the justice in their country, he noted: “No one is protecting people who have a pending case in court, for that there is always the possibility of deportation of those people, but regulated. The issue is that detention is a last resort, not the first.

“There should be international cooperation mechanisms, that is why the United Nations global pact implies alliances, because migration is understood to be a global flow in an interdependent world. Therefore, collaboration mechanisms are required ”, he concluded.

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Politics: Orlando Arapa would be investigated in the Congressional Ethics Commission |

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The Congressional Ethics Commission could initiate an ex officio investigation of legislator Orlando Arapa () for stating in a radio interview in Puno that airplanes and drones spread the .

In statements to Peru21, the vice president of this working group, Mirtha Vasquez (Frente Amplio) said that this measure would correspond because Arapa issued statements that generate alarm and anxiety.

“It would be appropriate to initiate an investigation if it is noticed that he was issuing statements that generate alarm and anxiety in the population,” he said.

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“It is irresponsible that, in the midst of a pandemic, it manifests itself in those terms,” ​​the legislator said.

Likewise, Vásquez pointed out that before taking action against the legislator, all his statements and the context in which he declared should be analyzed.

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Congress: New bill proposes to control bank interest rates | Financial entities

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He Congress of the republic prepares a new bill that would aim to protect users of financial services from the collection of fees and commissions.

The initiative was presented on August 3 with the support of seven benches: Union for Peru, Frepap, We Are Peru, Broad Front, We Can Peru, Alliance for Progress and Popular Action.

At the moment the project is in the Consumer Defense Commission of Congress, and according to Congressman Ricardo Burga, he would already have a favorable opinion, so would be elevated to the plenary session of parliament in the fortnight of December.

“Banks today, basically the retail ones, are charging twice the rates charged in Chile and triple what is charged in Colombia, and under the scheme, in a crisis situation, where the gross domestic product It has fallen more than 30 points and unemployment is exceeding 10% at the national level, it is impossible for the country to continue paying annual rates of 120%, 140% or 160%, “the legislator and promoter of the project told the newspaper Gestión.

What is proposed?

The project proposes control the interest rates of financial institutions and regulate commissions and expenses involved in financial products.

It is intended to modify article 52 of Decree Law No. 26123, Organic Law of the Central Reserve Bank (BCR) so that the issuing entity can set maximum and minimum interest rates on a semi-annual basis.

The maximum interest rates could be fixed in 13 types of operations and services such as loans, mortgages and factoring operations.

According to the project, if a bank activates these interest rates in some operation that is not in the range of the aforementioned this could be classified as a crime.

Besides, also the collection of a penalty or other commission or expense in the event of non-compliance would be prohibited or late payment of the credit.

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Politics: APP congressmen mock the people and seek reelection | Congress

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In the November 2018 referendum, 85% of Peruvians voted in favor of the constitutional reform that prohibits the immediate reelection of congressmen. This majority decision of the Peruvian people, which seems to have been unclear to Alianza para el Progreso (APP). The match of submitted a query to the National Elections Jury () to test whether acting and disbanded parliamentarians can run in the 2021 elections.

“It is important to answer queries since Article 90-A of the Constitution regulates the prohibition of immediate reelection of congressmen (…) and is linked to the current electoral process and that of internal democracy,” indicates the official letter signed by the Alternate legal representative of that group, Alejandro Rodríguez.

The electoral law expert José Tello stressed that the JNE is prohibited by its organic law from answering queries to entities outside the electoral system.

“If it is pronounced, it could be interpreted as an opinion advance because the case could reach that instance, which is also legally prohibited,” he said.

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“It is an electoral calculation. What we have is a of candidates, some seek to run in 2021 and others to regional governments in 2022. After what was done with the ONP, it is clear that they legislate for their campaign, “he said.

DATA:

On May 5, the holder of the , Omar Chehade (APP), asked the head of the JNE, Víctor Ticona, if the current parliamentarians could apply.

Ticona did not respond claiming that if he did so he could advance an opinion.

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Economy: ONP | Congress approved the return of S / 4,300 to contributors | MEF

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The Congress of the Republic approved with 106 votes in favor, 13 against and 15 abstentions the return of up to one UIT (S / 4,300) to the active and inactive contributors of the Social Security Normalization Office (ONP).

The final approved opinion bears the name of the Law that establishes a special optional regime for the return of contributions for active and inactive contributors to Decree Law 19990 administered by the Social Security Normalization Office (ONP).

The return to contributors will not be for all of S / 4,300 or one UIT, but each one will receive according to the contributions made, that is, if they contributed S / 500, they will receive S / 500, the same for those who made a lower contribution.

The opinion approved in the early hours of today will imply a cost to the State of S / 13,280 million, although the Podemos bench estimated that this will imply a greater outlay in the amount of S / 15,000 million.

Voting in Congress

This was the voting, in the benches of Alliance for Progress (APP), Union for Peru (UPP), Frepap, We can Peru, We are Peru, Popular Action they voted unanimously in favor.

In the case of Popular Force the majority of the bench abstained, and only three votes in favor. At Purple Party the vote was three people who abstained. In the same way in the Wide Front there were only two abstentions.

Parliament was exonerated to a second vote, with 106 votes in favor, 13 against and 15 abstentions.

Now the Executive has a period of 15 working days to promulgate or observe the norm approved by the Congress of the Republic.

Standard details

According to the opinion, the affiliates may avail themselves of the return of contributions established in this law, during the ninety (90) business days after its publication in the official newspaper El Peruano.

Likewise, the rule approved in Congress details that the return of contributions will be made by 50% of a Tax Unit (UIT) within a maximum period of 30 calendar days after the approval of the request granted by the Social Security Normalization Office ( ONP).

The remaining balance within a maximum period of 90 calendar days after the first disbursement.

Government position

The president of the Council of Ministers asserted that the approved norm would be observed.

“We cannot fall into the responsibility of allowing a large number of people to leave the public pension system. As government we have to observe the norm. Not only is it unconstitutional but it is also bringing a future prejudice for all those who contributed and could be left without access to health. This brings a problem only to this government but to the future government ”, said Walter Martos in RPP.

Read below the standard approved last night:

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