Luis Lacalle Pou defended the Uruguayan senator accused of child sexual abuse: “I believe him”

After the sex scandal that broke out in Uruguay following the denunciation of a trans militant of the National Party against the official senator Gustavo Penadesof which he accused pedophilia and child sexual abusePresident Luis Lacalle Peu he supported the lawmaker this Thursday and expressed his “confidence” in him.

“I believe him“, the president remarked, according to the local newspaper The observer. Furthermore, you expressed your “support” for Penadés, 57, who revealed to Congress this Wednesday that he is homosexual, while denied the facts and has announced that he will bring the woman who accused him to justice.

Regard Romina Celeste Papasso, a member of the ruling Uruguayan National Party (PN), which accused the senator of the same political force of child sexual abuse. In particular, he claimed to have maintained sexual intercourse twice with Penadés when he was 13 years old and had not yet begun his transition. He also claimed the senator gave him money as a “gift” after the deed.

In this context, the El País newspaper pointed out that Lacalle Peu communicated privately with Penadés and, after that conversation, he declared his support “because of his career and the personal relationship” they have. However, the president clarified that “Justice will be that which clarifies the facts and determines responsibilities“.

The same position was shown by the Minister of the Interior, Luis Alberto Heber, who met the senator and supported him at the press conference: “Penadés’ statement was more than explanatory of the situation we are experiencing. And we are very outraged by this mess, but we have no other way to digest it than through justice.”

Support also came through social networks from other National Party leaders. Among them, Senator Jorge Gandini, who tweeted: “I’ve known him for a long time. He is a colleague that I respect and a dignified and honorable person. I believe in your word and I offer my sympathy. He submitted to justice, as befits.’

The prosecutor of the Court, Juan Gómez, decided that the allegations should be investigated ex officio, and the case would fall on the prosecutor Mariana Alfaro, in charge of the 6th round of the prosecutor’s office for sexual crimes, domestic violence and gender-based violence, which must define if you take Esso.

Penades defense

Faced with the scandal, Penadés, senator between 2005 and 2015, and since March 2020, held a press conference in which he said that “for now” he continues with his position and denied the facts.

“I have never cheated on or denied my sexual orientation, but what I don’t admit is that someone can accuse me of being a paedophile because I have it,” replied Penadés, who until now had not declared publicly that he was homosexual but did claimed to have voted laws in favor of sexual orientation LGBTQ+ community.

The accusation of sexual abuse

The statements of the activist, who currently leads his own group within the PN, called JxP, began on social networks on Sunday and were disseminated in the following days in various media.

In his first statement, Papasso, who achieved popularity among right-wing militants for, among other actions, making graffiti in the colors of the PN to cover those of Uruguay’s left-wing coalition, the Broad Front, took aims the politician without saying his name.name.

The statements were motivated by a statement in which Penadés assured the press that he was unaware that she was a member of the National Party.

In the last few hours, the activist has also published several images that other alleged victims have sent her to demonstrate their meetings with Penadés in which she accused the senator of paedophilia.

After the Penadès conference, the activist told the local newspaper The observer that he took his words “as a public apology” and that the senator “will have to think carefully about what he will do” because now “it will be a petition against several people”.