LIMA – A retired police officer who headed the elite unit that captured the founder of Peru’s fearsome Shining Path rebel group more than two decades ago was arrested on corruption charges.
Col. Benedicto Jimenez was detained in the context of an investigation of businessman Rodolfo Orellana, who stands accused of money laundering, trafficking in land titles and appropriation of public property.
The judge overseeing the probe issued arrest warrants for Orellana, Jimenez and 21 other people.
Authorities have initiated a nationwide search for Orellana, who remains at large.
Jimenez runs a publication called Juez Justo, which specializes in attacks on magistrates and journalists looking into the activities of Orellana, prosecutors say.
Best known for his role in the capture of Shining Path founder Abimael Guzman in 1992, Jimenez entered politics after retiring from the police.
He made an unsuccessful bid for mayor of Lima in 2006 on the ticket of former President Alan Garcia’s APRA party.
Authorities violated due process by ordering Orellana’s arrest, his lawyer told Canal N television.
The accusations against his client are unfounded, attorney Carlos Camacho said, calling the prosecution of Orellana politically motivated.
Peru’s Congress is set this week to install a committee to investigate Orellana’s alleged illicit ties with public officials and judges.
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