Law enforcement officials in Peru conducted a search of the former top election official’s residence on Friday as investigators examine claims of voting process misconduct following his resignation earlier this week due to ballot counting delays from the April 12 national election.
Television footage from local news outlets captured police officers entering Piero Corvetto’s home in Lima’s Miraflores neighborhood, acting under court authorization. The former director of Peru’s National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE) was the target of the search, while authorities simultaneously examined up to 12 additional locations during the investigation.
The nation’s prosecutor’s office confirmed that anti-corruption officers worked alongside prosecutors during the operation, responding to mounting public accusations of electoral process violations.
Defense attorney Ricardo Sanchez Carranza informed Reuters that while a magistrate approved searching his client’s residence, officials rejected prosecutors’ request to place Corvetto in preliminary custody. The lawyer emphasized that Corvetto provided complete cooperation with investigators.
Lead prosecutor Raul Martinez directed the confiscation of cellular devices, computer equipment and paperwork from Corvetto’s residence, according to local broadcaster RPP’s reporting.
Corvetto stepped down from his position on Tuesday, describing his departure as “necessary and unavoidable” to help rebuild public trust in the electoral system following organizational failures that caused extended wait times at voting locations and delayed result announcements.
In his resignation statement, he rejected any allegations of misconduct and advocated for addressing outstanding concerns through an unbiased investigation.
European Union monitoring teams reported finding no indication of fraudulent activity during their observation.
The prolonged ballot counting process has sparked fraud accusations from multiple candidates across Peru. Election officials began this week examining thousands of disputed ballots containing discrepancies or mistakes on counting forms, creating additional delays in finalizing outcomes.
By Friday morning, approximately 95% of ballots had been processed according to ONPE data, showing conservative contender Keiko Fujimori in the lead with about 17% support. A close competition for second place continues between leftist legislator Roberto Sanchez and former Lima Mayor Rafael Lopez Aliaga, with Sanchez expanding his advantage over Lopez Aliaga to approximately 20,000 votes from 14,000 earlier in the week.
Peru’s National Jury of Elections announced that complete results will be released by May 15, preceding the planned presidential runoff between the leading two candidates scheduled for June 7.
