2009 Chile-Peru espionage scandal
Encyclopedia
The 2009 Chile-Peru espionage scandal was a diplomatic crisis that occurred when a Peruvian court ordered the arrest of two Chilean military officers over allegedly bribing a Peruvian air force
officer. The charges against the Peruvian air force officer were: revealing national secrets, espionage
and money-laundering.
Peruvian President Alan Garcia left Singapore
just before the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
summit in order to return home to deal with the crisis.
The American ambassador in Lima, P. Michael McKinley
, wrote in a leaked cable that the "Peruvian reaction seems exaggerated given the relatively limited scale of the espionage, and suggests political opportunism along with an instinctive reaction to any problem involving Chile." Ambassador McKinley further stated that the timing of the scandal was unfortunate because Peru had "begun
to more seriously focus on defeating Shining Path
narco-terrorists in the Apurimac-Ene River Valley".
Peruvian Air Force
The Peruvian Air Force is the branch of the Peruvian Armed Forces tasked with defending the nation and its interests through the use of air power...
officer. The charges against the Peruvian air force officer were: revealing national secrets, espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
and money-laundering.
Peruvian President Alan Garcia left Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
just before the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation is a forum for 21 Pacific Rim countries that seeks to promote free trade and economic cooperation throughout the Asia-Pacific region...
summit in order to return home to deal with the crisis.
The American ambassador in Lima, P. Michael McKinley
P. Michael McKinley
P. Michael McKinley is an American diplomat. On August 5, 2010, the United States Senate confirmed McKinley as U.S. Ambassador to Bogotá, Colombia. He served as the U.S. Ambassador to Peru from 2007 to 2010. His State Department biography says:...
, wrote in a leaked cable that the "Peruvian reaction seems exaggerated given the relatively limited scale of the espionage, and suggests political opportunism along with an instinctive reaction to any problem involving Chile." Ambassador McKinley further stated that the timing of the scandal was unfortunate because Peru had "begun
to more seriously focus on defeating Shining Path
Shining Path
Shining Path is a Maoist guerrilla terrorist organization in Peru. The group never refers to itself as "Shining Path", and as several other Peruvian groups, prefers to be called the "Communist Party of Peru" or "PCP-SL" in short...
narco-terrorists in the Apurimac-Ene River Valley".