Lawyers in Peru got a little hot under the collar when their online hearing into corruption by the country’s president was interrupted by a video of a dancing male stripper.
The incongruous images of well known internet meme Ricardo Milos temporarily stopped a virtual public hearing into the conduct of Peruvian President Pedro Castillo in its tracks.
Fingers were pointed at a member of the president’s defence team, who said he was the victim of ‘computer crime.’
‘The video appeared abruptly, giving the impression that it came from my account, which I reject,’ Benji Espinosa told Reuters by phone.
‘They are showing very suggestive images,’ prosecutor Samuel Rojas said as the footage of the Milos appeared on screens during the hearing.
Ricardo Milos became familiar as a meme in 2018, when people on TikTok began using his dance in bait-and-switch videos to surprise unsuspecting viewers.
An online hearing into corruption by Peruvian President Pedro Castillo was interrupted by a video of a dancing male stripper
Fingers were pointed at Benji Espinosa, a member of the president’s defence team, who said he was the victim of ‘computer crime’
‘They are showing very suggestive images,’ prosecutor Samuel Rojas (pictured) said as the footage of the Milos appeared on screens during the hearing
President Pedro Castillo is accused of leading a corruption plot involving his former Minister of Transport and Communications, Juan Silva, who is currently in hiding
Ricardo Milos became familiar as a meme in 2018, when people on TikTok began using his dance in bait-and-switch videos to surprise unsuspecting viewers
The unexpected content appeared as Rojas was outlining the reasons why Castillo should be investigated.
The hearing was being publicly broadcast on the judiciary branch’s television channel, with the offending clip later shared widely on Twitter.
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A supreme court judge is evaluating a request to throw out the investigation into whether the president led a corruption plot involving his former Minister of Transport and Communications, Juan Silva, who is currently in hiding.
This week Interpol issued an arrest warrant against Silva, who is wanted in Peru for the alleged crimes of criminal organisation and collusion.
He stands accused of corruption in the awarding of public works contracts to Peruvian and Chinese construction companies for the construction of the Tarata bridge in north-central Peru.
The investigation has expanded to engulf President Castillo.
The president’s legal defence team is trying to prevent prosecutors from questioning him at a hearing scheduled for Friday.
Preuvian President Pedro Castillo’s government has been rocked by mass protests in Lima this month
There were clashes with the national police of Peru demanding the resignation of the president during the demonstration
A protester waves a sign during a demonstration that reads: Castillo! Don’t be a thief!
The video of Milos appeared through the user account of Benji Espinosa, a member of Castillo’s defence team, prompting a brief suspension of the hearing.
Espinosa denied that he was responsible for the video and says he was the victim of ‘computer crime.’
‘The video appeared abruptly, giving the impression that it came from my account, which I reject,’ Espinosa told Reuters by phone.
The lawyer added he was filing a complaint with the judge and claimed that the incident ‘shows that the virtual system of the judiciary is vulnerable.’
Leftist President Castillo currently faces scrutiny of alleged corruption in his government, social protests and a fall in popularity after 10 months in power.
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