Peruvian President Martín Vizcarra has confirmed via Twitter the death of the country’s former leader Alan Garcia, who shot himself earlier in the day as police attempted to arrest him.
The president’s statement comes within an hour after the Telesur TV channel reported that Garcia had succumbed to his injuries.
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Earlier in the day, local TV broadcaster America reported that Garcia survived after the suicide attempt, though he was in critical condition and was undergoing emergency surgery. According to the broadcaster, his son and supporters arrived at the hospital.
Consternado por el fallecimiento del ex presidente Alan García. Envío mis condolencias a su familia y seres queridos.
— Martín Vizcarra (@MartinVizcarraC) April 17, 2019
Commenting on the former official’s condition after the incident, Peru’s Health Minister Zulema Tomas called it “very critical” and “very serious.”
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Garcia served as president of the Latin American state for two terms, with the first one starting in 1985 and terminating 1990. His second term commenced in 2006 and ended in 2011. Currently, the former president is suspected of accepting bribes from Brazilian company Odebrecht.
Alan Garcia is not the only former Peruvian president whose name is linked to the firm and who is being suspected of being involved in corrupt schemes. Ex-President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, who used to rule Peru before current leader Martin Vizcarra, is charged with receiving a total of $4.8 million in bribes from construction and development company Odebrecht.
