This handout picture released on March 5 by the peruvian Presidency press service shows peru's Prime Minister Alberto Otarola speaking during a ceremony with President Dina Boluarte (not pictured) at the Palace of Government in Lima on March 1, 2024.
Lima, Peru: Peru's Prime Minister Alberto Otarola resigned amid allegations of influence-peddling.
"In conversation with the president of the republic I have announced my decision to present my resignation," Otarola told reporters.
Otarola, 57, is a seasoned politician and lawyer who acted as chief of staff to President Dina Boluarte, who ordered him home from an official trip to Canada after the allegations erupted last weekend.
Otarola has denied any violation of Peruvian labor laws or other wrongdoing.
"I understand the gravity of the political circumstances but I repeat that I did not do anything illegal," he said Monday on X.
The president's office had said in a statement earlier Tuesday that it would hear Otarola out before deciding what to do. Opposition parties on both the right and left had demanded Otarola resign.
