Five police officers convicted in Peru for demanding bribe to return seized goods

A Lima court has convicted five officers from the Peruvian National Police's Criminal Investigation Department (Depincri) for demanding a bribe from a merchant to return seized counterfeit merchandise. The officers, part of the No. 02 Investigation Team of Depincri in Lima Center, were found guilty of passive bribery while in the exercise of their police functions.

The case involved Felícita Chávez and her partner, Jhon Medina, who were intercepted transporting counterfeit bedsheets. After being taken to the police station with the confiscated goods, the officers initially demanded S/10,000 (approximately $2,700 USD) for the return of the merchandise. The investigation revealed that the officers later reduced the bribe amount to S/6,000 to finalize the corrupt transaction.

The Second Provincial Corporate Specialized Prosecutor's Office for Crimes of Corruption of Officials in Lima secured the convictions. The sentenced officers are Bryan Sandoval, Mael Aysanoa, Iván Espíritu, Franco Luque, and Bryan Arévalo. Sandoval received a six-year, five-month, and four-day suspended prison sentence, along with a five-year probation period. Aysanoa was sentenced to five years of effective prison time, which was converted into 260 days of community service.

Espíritu, Luque, and Arévalo each received four years, nine months, and 26 days of suspended prison sentences. During the judicial process, the accused admitted their criminal responsibility and opted for an expedited conclusion, which accelerated the case's resolution. As part of the sentence, each convicted officer must also pay S/3,000 in civil reparations.