The funeral of Peru’s ex-president Alan Garcia who killed himself this week held today with crowds running into thousands turning up for the funeral service.
On suspicion of taking bribes from Odebrecht, a Brazilian company, the police knocked on his door to arrest him. Sadly, Mr García didn’t give them that opportunity as he ended his life by a shot to the head. At the wake, his daughter read his suicide note.
In the letter he wrote, it was stated that he didn’t have to suffer the injustices of being arrested for alleged acts of corruption.
And at the headquarters of his APRA party, which happens to be one of the oldest political parties in Latin America, friends, allies, and leaders paid their last respects to him.
At the wake, there was a lot of anger with some people shouting “Vizcarra is a murderer.” That was aimed at President Martin Vizcarra, the current president of Peru whom they blame for Ex-President García’s suicide.
The EFE news agency reported the content of Mr García’s letter with a part of it which read,
“I have seen others paraded in handcuffs guarding their miserable existence, but Alan García does not have to suffer those injustices and circuses.
“For that reason, I leave my children the dignity of my decisions; to my colleagues, a sign of pride. And my corpse as a sign of my contempt towards my adversaries because I already fulfilled the mission that I set myself.
“May God, to whom I go with dignity, protect the good-hearted and the most humble.”
Investigators reported that he collected bribes from Odebrecht during his second term in office, linked to a metro line building project in the capital.
Since 2004, Odebrecht has admitted having paid almost $30m (£23m) in bribes in Peru.