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Spotlight: Politicians in Peru found to have received social benefits for the poor

Xinhua, October 23, 2016 Adjust font size:

Several politicians in Peru have been found to have taken benefits from the SIS healthcare system, created for poor families.

On Saturday morning, congressman Bienvenido Ramirez denounced Alexis Humala, brother of former president Ollanta Humala, for having benefited from the free SIS, despite it being meant only for the country's poorest people.

Writing on Twitter, Ramirez accused Humala of appearing in SIS archives, which was verified by Peruvian press. Peruvian daily Correo stated that Humala had been on SIS registers since Sept. 3, 2015.

Humala was also recently inculpated for having allegedly involved in soliciting illegal donations for Peruvian firefighters.

An inspection of SIS registrations also found on Thursday that three congressmen, Wilmer Aguilar, Gilmer Trujillo and Indira Huilca, were listed, as well as Gerardo Vinas Dioses, former regional president of the province of Tumbes and Manuel Zapata, a high-ranking municipal official in Lima.

These reports have sparked fury among Peruvians, who feel that these politicians, who enjoy substantial salaries and good benefits, have abused the infrastructure put in place for the poorest in the country.

Pressure from the public, media and their own parties led two of the three congressmen to explain how they became registered on the SIS and declared their immediate renunciation from the service. One of them, Huilca, said her family registered for SIS, prior to her being elected to Congress, due to having been left vulnerable after her father, union leader Pedro Huilca, was assassinated during the regime of former president Alberto Fujimori.

Vinas Dioses is already in prison on corruption charges which happened during his time in office.

The first revelation about potential abuses of SIS came when a surgeon, Pablo Machuca, said that well-known model, Sheyla Rojas, had enjoyed the free healthcare system.

The news was released amidst a broad corruption campaign by the government of President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, who has vowed to clean the country of this scourge.

On Wednesday, the president approved a new law, condemning public officials found guilty of corruption to "civil death," a term used to strip citizens of some of their civil rights. This would punish corrupt officials from holding any public office for periods ranging from six months to 20 years.

Kuczynski has not hesitated to denounce his former healthcare advisor, Carlos Moreno, who was found to be using SIS funds to carry out illegal activities. Enditem