On Tuesday, Mexico announced it had granted asylum for the family of ousted Peru's president Pedro Castillo. Hours later, Peru declared the Mexican ambassador to Lima persona non grata and ordered him to leave within 72 hours.
The Peruvian foreign ministry said without elaborating that Castillo’s wife, Lilia Paredes, was under criminal investigation in the South American country, where corruption allegations had dogged her husband’s administration.
Paredes and the couple’s two children were at the Mexican embassy in Lima. Peru said it would allow the family to leave for Mexico, but could later demand Mexico extradite Paredes Navarro if she were to eventually face any charges in Peru.
The Peruvian foreign ministry stated on its social media accounts Tuesday that it was expelling Mexican Ambassador Pablo Monroy because of "the repeated statement by that country’s highest authorities about the political situation in Peru.”
That was an apparent reference to Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who mentioned that Castillo’s removal from office after trying to dissolve Peru's Congress on Dec. 7 was unappropriate.
The Peruvian lawmakers swiftly expelled Castillo that same day and he was placed under arrest.
The Mexican president comments represented meddling in Peru's internal affairs, according to Peruvian officials.
Mexico's Foreign Relations Department explained that its embassy in Peru would remain open and operate normally, and that it had instructed Monroy to return to his country.
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