Peru to create committee with banks to combat extortion — The Rio Times

The Peruvian government announced the creation of a committee involving the banking sector and the telecommunications regulator, which is intended to speed up investigators’ access to information in cases of extortion and illegal mining. Prime Minister Luis Galarreta announced the initiative on October 12, The Rio Times reports.

Committee participants

The committee is expected to involve Peru’s Financial Intelligence Unit, telecommunications market regulator Osiptel, and the Peruvian Banking Association Asbanc, which represents private banks. The government has not disclosed a full list of participants, nor the legal basis for the body’s work, its launch date, or budget.

Galarreta made the statement together with Interior Minister César Astudillo and police chief General Fredy López. According to the prime minister, better coordination and access to information should remove obstacles that slow investigations. At the same time, the government did not explain exactly how data sharing would take place or what legal safeguards would be applied.

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Operations against groups

On October 10, law enforcement officers seized five phones, bank cards, and a QR code for the Yape payment application during two raids in the city of Piura. Peru’s Ministry of the Interior reported the detention of seven alleged members of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua group on suspicion of extorting money from traders.

The initiative is part of broader measures against organized crime. On October 7, President Keiko Fujimori announced the creation of a Joint Command involving the armed forces and the national police, numbering 1,350 personnel. On the same day, she announced a special commission involving financial intelligence, Osiptel, national intelligence, and telecommunications companies.