Peruvian prosecutors find $20,000 inside presidential bathroom amid accusations of government corruption

Peruvian prosecutors found $20,000 hidden in a bathroom inside the presidential palace said to be used exclusively by Bruno Pacheco, President Pedro Castillo’s former chief of staff.

The palace was raided on Friday as part of an investigation into allegations of corruption and influence peddling.

Pacheco, who resigned from his post on Friday, told investigators that the money came from “his savings and his salary” as chief of staff, the AP reported.

His salary amounts to 25,000 soles, or $6,250 per month, an official document reveals.

The former chief of staff is accused of having pressured the head of Peru’s tax and customs agency to offer more favorable terms to companies run by his cronies, according to the BBC.

Pacheco, however, has denied all allegations and has insisted that he resigned "so that the president won't be touched by this smear campaign."

"I leave with my head held high and with the certainty that I will prove my innocence," he wrote in a statement. 

On Tuesday, Castillo named a new chief of staff to replace Pacheco.

This is the first time since Castillo came to power on July 28 that his administration has been hit with a corruption scandal. In the last 35 years, every Peruvian president has been convicted or investigated for financial crimes. 

In recent months, the left-wing, socially conservative president has come under fire from Keiko Fujimori’s Fuerza Popular party.

Last week, lawmakers from the free-market oriented party said they would support a motion asking congress to debate Castillo’s impeachment for “permanent incapacity” to lead the country.