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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Peru's government poised to quit | Peru's government poised to quit |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| Peruvian cabinet ministers are poised to tender their resignation to the country's president over an alleged scandal over oil concessions. | Peruvian cabinet ministers are poised to tender their resignation to the country's president over an alleged scandal over oil concessions. |
| Prime Minister Jorge del Castillo said that he and his cabinet were ready to put their fate in the hands of President Alan Garcia Perez. | Prime Minister Jorge del Castillo said that he and his cabinet were ready to put their fate in the hands of President Alan Garcia Perez. |
| The move follows a frustrated attempt by the cabinet to explain its decisions before parliament. | The move follows a frustrated attempt by the cabinet to explain its decisions before parliament. |
| Congress is to investigate alleged bribe-taking by politicians. | Congress is to investigate alleged bribe-taking by politicians. |
| On Sunday, a TV station broadcast a tape which it claimed was a recording of an executive in the state oil company, Petroperu, and a prominent lobbyist discussing payments to help a firm win contracts. | On Sunday, a TV station broadcast a tape which it claimed was a recording of an executive in the state oil company, Petroperu, and a prominent lobbyist discussing payments to help a firm win contracts. |
| Mr Garcia ordered an investigation and insisted that the government must be purged of corruption. | |
| Energy and Mines Minister Juan Valdivia has already resigned. | Energy and Mines Minister Juan Valdivia has already resigned. |
| Petroperu's president, Cesar Gutierrez, has also resigned, although he has denied any involvement in the scandal. | |
| Protests | |
| Mr del Castillo appeared before Congress earlier on Thursday, flanked by all the members of his cabinet, but was not allowed to speak as Congress has moved for a motion of impeachment against him. | |
| Afterwards, Mr del Castillo told a press conference that he and his cabinet were "going to the presidential palace to offer our posts to the president so he can decide". | |
| This week, thousands of people protested in several Peruvian cities, calling for the government to step down. | |
| They accused the governing party Apra of "stealing" while the people were struggling. | |
| The BBC's Dan Collyns in Lima said there appears to be a web of corruption surrounding multi-billion dollar deals over land for oil and gas exploration in Peru. |