Peru presidential candidate Roberto Sanchez charged with financial crimes

Prosecutor calls for leftist candidate to be jailed for five years and four months over false financial disclosures.Peru’s public prosecutor’s office has accused leftist presidential candidate Roberto Sanchez of financial crimes, calling for him to be imprisoned for five years and four months.The charges, unsealed on Tuesday, came hours after electoral authorities confirmed Sanchez was on track to advance to the country’s presidential run-off, scheduled for June 7.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Peru’s election chief steps down amid chaotic general electionlist 2 of 4Top ministers quit after Peru’s president postpones F-16 fighter jet deallist 3 of 4Peru probes trafficking of citizens to fight for Russia in Ukrainelist 4 of 4Peru says presidential election results due by mid-May after delayed countend of listAccording to the El Comercio newspaper, prosecutors allege that Sanchez, who is the candidate of the Peru" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="126129" data-entity-type="organization">Juntos por el Peru (Together for Peru) party, filed false financial disclosures with the National Office of Electoral Processes related to campaign contributions between 2018 and 2020.Prosecutors say Sanchez and his brother, William Sanchez, received more than 280,000 Peruvian soles ($81,720) in contributions and membership fees that were never disclosed in the party’s financial filings.Sanchez is also accused of making false statements in administrative proceedings.In addition to the jail term, prosecutors were also seeking a “permanent disqualification” of Sanchez from holding the office of president for the Peru" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="126129" data-entity-type="organization">Juntos por el Peru party, according to El Comercio.Sanchez’s lawyer rejected the accusations, telling local outlet RPP that the party’s treasurer, not Sanchez, was responsible for its financial filings.A judge is expected to decide on May 27 whether the case will go to trial.The charges emerged as vote counting from last month’s first-round election showed Sanchez advancing to a run-off against conservative rival Keiko Fujimori.