Key witness in ex-Peru Mayor Susana Villarán's corruption case found dead

José Miguel Castro was collaborating with prosecutors in the corruption case against Susana Villarán.

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José Miguel Castro, who was living under house arrest, was a municipality official during Susana Villarán's term as mayor from 2011 to 2014.

He was a co-defendant in the trial with Ms Villarán, who is accused of receiving bribes worth $10m (£7.3m) from Brazilian construction firms.

In 2019, Ms Villarán admitted to receiving funds from these companies but denied that they were bribes. Mr Castro was collaborating with prosecutors on the investigation. The cause of his death is not yet known.

"He was the second most important person behind Ms Villarán," prosecutor José Domingo Pérez told Peruvian news channel Canal N.