The National Police, through the Directorate Against Corruption (Dircocor), seized official electoral material in the district of Surquillo, Lima, during the night of April 16. The agents found four sealed boxes containing approximately 1,200 ballots corresponding to polling stations set up in Santiago de Surco. The electoral material was handed over by citizens to Willax Televisión, where Claudia Sandoval Carmona, head of the Decentralized Office of Electoral Processes (ODPE) Lima Oeste 3, verified its authenticity.
The National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE) assured that the loss of the ballots does not affect the results, as the votes from those polling stations had already been processed in official records. ONPE explained that they had contracted a transportation company to move 24 boxes from the polling center, but upon arrival at their destination, they noticed that four were missing. Despite efforts to locate the driver, no response was obtained.
The Ombudsman’s Office expressed concern over the breach of the chain of custody and demanded the immediate removal of those responsible. The entity described the abandonment of the electoral material in public spaces as “manifest negligence” that affects the integrity of the electoral process. The seized material is now at Dircocor’s facilities for the necessary investigations.
