By Marco Aquino
LIMA, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Peruvian President Jose Jeri has asked to appear before Congress to "clarify" meetings he held with a Chinese businessman outside of his official agenda, which are being investigated by the public prosecutor in a new political scandal rocking the country.
Jeri, who assumed power in October after the expulsion of former President Dina Boluarte, sent a letter to Congress on Tuesday requesting to participate the following day in the legislative oversight committee that is also investigating him for the meetings.
The request "is made in light of the country's need for matters of public interest to be clarified with transparency and responsibility," said Jeri's letter, seen by Reuters.
Later, the head of the congressional oversight committee, Elvis Vergara, announced that he would meet with the president.
Peru has been reeling from an ongoing political crisis, with a revolving door of seven presidents since 2018 due to resignations or dismissals.
Jeri's meetings with businessman Zhihua Yang, who owns commercial stores and a concession for an energy project, and his failure to publicly disclose them as part of his agenda, prompted criticism over a lack of transparency and potential corruption. In Peru, the president's meetings are traditionally included in the official agenda.
Jeri met with Zhihua Yang on December 26 and January 6, according to local media.
Opposition lawmakers have said they will present a motion to impeach or censure Jeri, 39, whose popularity remains high despite dipping to 44% in January, according to the local polling firm CPI.
A 'FRIENDLY' MEETING
Jeri issued a public apology for the initial meeting, a dinner at a Chinese restaurant in Lima, via a recorded message on Sunday. He said he went to coordinate the celebration of another anniversary of Peruvian-Chinese friendship and denied having received an "irregular request" to meet.
"I admit my mistake," he said. "And I publicly apologize for entering the meeting with the businessman the way I did, hidden, and for that, giving rise to suspicions and doubts about my behavior," Jeri said.
Hours after Jeri's apology, a second meeting with Zhihua Yang, whose business has been suspended by Lima's authorities for selling unauthorized products, was made public.
An attorney representing Zhihua Yang told radio station RPP on Monday night that the encounters were a "friendly meeting in which President Jeri broke some protocols."
Although a censure of Jeri requires fewer votes than impeachment (87 out of 130), his removal is unlikely, political experts have said. Two-thirds of Peru's lawmakers are seeking reelection and will likely opt for stability before the April general elections, analysts said.
(Report by Marco Aquino, Editing by Cassandra Garrison, Aida Pelaez-Fernandez and Andrea Ricci)
