The 2008 Peru oil scandal started after a

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

vian TV station broadcast an audio tape of an alleged conversation between a government official and a

lobbyist In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, which ...

agreeing to help a firm win contracts. The speakers were allegedly Alberto Quimper, an executive in Petroperú, the state company in charge of promoting foreign investment in the

petroleum Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crud ...

sector, and a prominent lobbyist and politician member of the Apra party Rómulo León Alegría discussing payments to help the Norwegian company Discover Petroleum win contracts. This was followed by street protests led by workers, teachers, builders and doctors for the resignation of the

Council of Ministers A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/ shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or nati ...

. The scandal led to the resignation of

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

Jorge del Castillo Jorge Alfonso Alejandro Del Castillo Gálvez (born 2 July 1950) is a Peruvian lawyer and politician. In his career, he has served in the now abolished Peruvian Chamber of Deputies between 1990 and 1992, in the unicameral Congress of the Republi ...

and the appointment of a new cabinet headed by

Yehude Simon Yehude Simon Munaro (born 18 July 1947) is a Peruvian politician, who served as Governor of the Lambayeque Region between 2003 and 2008, Prime Minister between 2008 and 2009 and as a Congressman from Lambayeque between 2011 and 2016, elected un ...

Tape

On October 5, 2008, TV

news magazine A news magazine is a typed, printed, and published magazine, radio or television program, usually published weekly, consisting of articles about current events. News magazines generally discuss stories, in greater depth than do newspapers or n ...

Cuarto Poder Cuarto is Spanish for "room" and "fourth", and may refer to: * , a room * Cuarto (Ponce), a ''barrio'' of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico * Cuarto River (sometimes even Río Cuarto River, even though ''río'' means "river"), a river in Arg ...

broadcast alleged audio recordings of Alberto Quimper, vice-president of Petroperú, and Rómulo León Alegría, a lobbyist and prominent member of the APRA, the party that was currently in office. In the tape, they discussed secretive $10,000 monthly payments to Quimper, León and Ernesto Arias-Schreiber, the legal representative of the company Discover in Peru, in exchange for steering lucrative

contracts to explore offshore oil blocks and gas fields in Peru Discover's way.

Consequences

Thousands of workers, including teachers, builders and doctors protested in Peru calling for the resignation of the government. On October 10, 2008, Prime Minister

submitted resignation of his cabinet to president

Alan García Alan Gabriel Ludwig García Pérez (; 23 May 1949 – 17 April 2019) was a Peruvian politician who served as President of Peru for two non-consecutive terms from 1985 to 1990 and from 2006 to 2011. He was the second leader of the Peruvian Apris ...

. A new cabinet led by 61-year-old

was sworn in on October 14, 2008.Peru's Garcia Swears in New Ministers Amid Scandal
/ref> He had been the president of the

Lambayeque Region Lambayeque () is a department and region in northwestern Peru known for its rich Moche and Chimú historical past. The region's name originates from the ancient pre-Inca civilization of the '' Lambayeque''. It is the second-smallest departmen ...

and is from outside the ruling party. On February 16, 2016, a Peruvian court acquitted Rómulo León, former Petroperu president César Gutiérrez, former Perupetro president Daniel Saba, former Discover Petroleum director Jostein Kjerstad and six other defendants in the case. Meanwhile, Peru's statutes of limitations exonerated Alberto Quimper when he turned 75 years old. Peru officials acquitted in ‘Petroaudios’ oil scandal from 2008
Peru Reports

References

{{Reflist, 2 Political history of Peru Peru Oil Scandal, 2008 Peru Oil Scandal, 2008