Lima:
A Peruvian court has handed down a 15-year prison sentence to former president Ollanta Humala and his wife for their involvement in a corruption scandal tied to Brazilian construction company Odebrecht. The court found the couple guilty of money laundering related to illegal contributions received during two presidential campaigns.
Following the ruling, Humala was taken into custody in the courtroom, while his wife, Nadine Heredia, who was not present at the sentencing hearing, sought asylum at the Brazilian embassy in Lima.
This marks the first time a former Peruvian president has faced trial in the Odebrecht corruption scandal, which has also ensnared three other ex-presidents. Alan Garcia tragically took his own life in 2019, Alejandro Toledo was sentenced to over 20 years in prison last year, and investigations are ongoing for Pedro Pablo Kuczynski.
The prosecutors had sought a 20-year prison term for Humala and 26 years for Heredia for accepting illegal contributions from Odebrecht. The company has been implicated in one of the largest foreign bribery schemes in history.
In 2016, Odebrecht agreed to pay $3.5 billion in penalties in Brazil, the United States, and Switzerland for bribing foreign leaders to secure infrastructure projects. The company admitted to paying over $29 million in bribes to Peruvian officials between 2005 and 2014.
Humala, a leftist leader, won the presidency in 2011 and defeated right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori in a runoff election. Fujimori herself spent time in pre-trial detention in connection to the Odebrecht scandal.
The couple has consistently denied all charges, and Humala’s legal team plans to appeal the sentence. The Brazilian government has confirmed that Heredia sought diplomatic asylum at its embassy and is in communication with Peruvian authorities regarding the matter.
(Please note that this article is based on a syndicated feed and has not been edited by NDTV staff)
