International

No signs of influence peddling in the case that made António Costa resign in Portugal

The Lisbon Court of Appeal did not appreciate signs of influence peddling in ‘Operation Influencer’, the judicial case that led to the resignation of former Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa, and rejected the appeal filed by the Prosecutor’s Office to the precautionary measures applied to the suspects.

The facts investigated “are not, by themselves, integrative of any type of crime,” which means that he has not appreciated indications of a crime of influence peddling, according to a statement from the Court cited this Wednesday by local media.

The Court rejected the appeal filed by the Portuguese Prosecutor’s Office and agreed with the two main suspects in the case, Vítor Escária – former chief of staff of Costa – and Diogo Lacerda Machado, businessman and friend of the former socialist prime minister.

In that sense, he annulled the preventive measures applied against both, including a bail of 150,000 euros and the prohibition of leaving the country, considering that there is no type of risk that justifies them.

The judges considered that “none of the facts advanced resulted in the commission of crimes and the development of the functions of each of the interveners was not overcome, since all of them acted within the scope of them.”

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The ‘Operation Influencer’ jumped in November 2023 and revolves around irregularities in lithium and hydrogen projects and in the construction of a data center.

The Prosecutor’s Office then reported that several suspects spoke of Costa’s involvement in the case for “unblocking procedures” and that these allegations would be analyzed in an autonomous investigation.

That same day, Costa submitted his resignation, although he assured that he had not committed illegal acts.

Since the resignation of the Prime Minister, the country’s attorney general, Lucília Gago, and the body she heads have been criticized for not having given further explanations about Costa’s alleged involvement in those irregularities and not having made public evidence against him.

Following Costa’s resignation, legislative elections were held in Portugal on March 10, which resulted in the coming to power of a center-right government headed by Luís Montenegro.

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Earlier this month, after ceding the witness to the new Government, Costa told the press that, after leaving office, he had asked his lawyer to send a petition to be heard before Justice.

International

Peruvian presidential candidate Napoleón Becerra dies in campaign road accident

Presidential candidate Napoleón Becerra, representing the Partido de los Trabajadores y Emprendedores (PTE) in Peru, died in a traffic accident while traveling to a campaign event, local authorities confirmed Sunday.

Becerra, who also served as president of the centrist political party, ranked among the lowest in opinion polls in a crowded field of more than 30 candidates competing in the presidential election scheduled for April 12.

Recent surveys place Rafael López Aliaga at the top of voter preferences.

The accident occurred near the town of Ayacucho, in southern Peru, when the vehicle carrying the candidate overturned for reasons that remain under investigation.

“The candidate Becerra has died,” Balvin Huamani, mayor of the district of Pilpichaca, told RPP radio.

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According to Huamani, he personally transported the 61-year-old candidate to a local health center, where doctors confirmed his death.

The Jurado Nacional de Elecciones (JNE) expressed condolences over Becerra’s passing and wished a speedy recovery to the three people who were traveling with him and were injured in the crash.

International

Noboa intensifies anti-cartel crackdown as violence persists in Ecuador

A close ally of Washington, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa has pursued a hardline security strategy against cocaine cartels for more than two years, yet homicide, disappearance and extortion rates remain high across the country.

Between Sunday night and the morning of March 31, Ecuador’s armed forces will launch a “very strong offensive” with “advisory support” from the United States, Interior Minister John Reimberg announced Tuesday.

The government has kept details of the operation confidential and has not confirmed whether U.S. troops will be deployed on Ecuadorian soil, as has occurred at times during Noboa’s administration.

As part of the security measures, residents in the coastal provinces of Guayas, Los Ríos, Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, and El Oro will be subject to a nightly curfew from 11:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. local time for the next two weeks.

“We are in a war,” Reimberg said, urging citizens to remain indoors. “Do not take risks. Stay home and allow the security forces and our allies to do the work that must be done.”

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Although Ecuador does not produce cocaine, it has become a major departure point for drugs heading to the United States. Meanwhile, the violence associated with trafficking has increasingly affected the local population.

Bordering the world’s largest cocaine producers, Colombia and Peru, Ecuador has gone from being considered a relatively peaceful country to recording one of the highest homicide rates in Latin America—52 killings per 100,000 inhabitants—according to the **Observatory of Organized Crime.

International

Peruvian presidential candidate proposes death penalty amid crime surge

Peru is facing an unprecedented surge in crime ahead of its presidential election scheduled for April 12, with violence fueled by extortion networks and a wave of contract killings linked to organized crime.

Police data show that 2,200 homicides tied to organized crime were recorded in 2025, while extortion complaints increased by 19%, underscoring the growing security crisis in the South American nation.

Amid this backdrop, presidential candidate Álvarez has proposed reinstating the death penalty if elected, arguing that extreme measures are needed to curb the violence.

To implement the proposal, Álvarez said Peru would withdraw from the American Convention on Human Rights—also known as the Pact of San José—which the country signed in 1978. The agreement prevents member states that have abolished capital punishment from reinstating it.

Currently, Peruvian law only allows the death penalty in cases of treason during wartime.

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“We have to leave the Pact of San José and apply the death penalty in Peru because those miserable criminals don’t deserve to live,” Álvarez told AFP during a campaign stop at a market in Callao, the port city neighboring Lima.

“An iron fist against those criminals,” he added, proposing to declare hitmen as military targets.

During the campaign event, Álvarez walked through stalls selling vegetables, groceries, and fish, greeting vendors while musicians played cumbia music nearby.

The 62-year-old candidate, who spent more than four decades working in television as a comedian, is a newcomer to politics and is running for president under the País para Todos party.

Polls place him fifth in voter preference with nearly 4% support in a fragmented race featuring 36 candidates.