LIMA, Peru (AP) — A Peruvian court on Tuesday sentenced former President Ollanta Humala and his wife, Nadine Heredia, to 15 years in prison for laundering funds received from Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht to finance his 2006 and 2011 campaigns.
The judges of the ´ºÉ«Ö±²¥ Superior Court found that Humala and Heredia received several million dollars in illegal contributions for these campaigns from Odebrecth and the government of then-Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez (1999-2013).
This verdict makes Humala the third former Peruvian president imprisoned for corruption in the last two decades. He joins Alejandro Toledo, for Odebrecht-related crimes, and , who received multiple convictions for corruption and human rights abuses.
The trial began in 2022, and alongside the 62-year-old former military officer Humala and his 48-year-old wife, the court convicted eight others. Both Humala and Heredia were held in pretrial detention from 2017 to 2018 at the prosecutor’s request to prevent their flight.
Odebrecht’s 2016 admission of widespread bribery across Latin America preceded the initial investigations against Humala, which started in 2015, a year before the company’s revelations.
Most of the presidents who governed Peru since 2001 have faced legal problems due to their connections with Odebrecht. Toledo is currently imprisoned, while former President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski is under house arrest. Alan GarcÃa, who served two non-consecutive terms (1985-1990 and 2006-2011), as authorities moved to arrest him in connection with Odebrecht bribes.
Beyond former presidents, prominent figures like and numerous ex-governors are also under investigation.
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