Peru's president, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, has resigned following the release of secret video recordings that implicated his allies in a vote-buying scheme, deepening a corruption scandal that has rocked the country. The 79-year-old leader, who had faced an impeachment vote, announced his resignation in a televised address, denying wrongdoing but stating he wished to avoid being an 'obstacle' to the nation.
The resignation comes just 19 months into his five-year term, making him the first sitting Latin American president forced out due to links to the Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht, at the centre of the continent's largest corruption scandal. Kuczynski had been accused of lying about his decade-old business ties to the firm.
The videos, released by the opposition party Fuerza Popular, allegedly show government officials and congressman Kenji Fujimori offering lawmakers a share of public works projects in exchange for support against the impeachment vote. Kuczynski claimed the recordings were 'selectively tendentious' and edited to give a false impression.
Government ministers have denied any exchange of contracts for political support and announced the dismissal of the official involved. Kenji Fujimori also denied any wrongdoing, describing the recordings as typical negotiations for infrastructure projects.
It remains unclear whether the opposition-controlled Congress will accept Kuczynski's resignation or proceed with the impeachment vote. The political crisis threatens one of Latin America's steadiest economies, as Kuczynski, a former banker educated at Oxford and Princeton, had promised to modernise Peru.
