Former president Alejandro Toledo’s second conviction in connection with widespread corruption led to his release from prison for 13 years and four months.
One of five former presidents imprisoned in Peru in recent years, including ex-President Martin Vizcarra, who was freed on Wednesday as he prepares to go on trial for allegedly accepting bribes more than ten years ago.
Toledo, 79, who served as president from 2001 to 2006, was found guilty of obtaining high-value real estate by using bribe money from the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht, now known as Novonor.
In addition to paying off mortgages on two other properties, Toledo and his wife allegedly used $5.1 million to pay off two other properties while using $5.1 million to purchase a house and an office in a fashionable Lima neighborhood. According to the prosecution, the funds were routed through a Costa Rican offshore company that Toledo established to launder the illicit funds.
Toledo was found guilty of accepting up to $35 million in bribes from Odebrecht in exchange for awarding the company lucrative public works contracts in October of that year. His conviction was announced on Wednesday.
Toledo’s attorneys consistently refuted allegations of money laundering and collusion during his yearlong trial.
His two sentences will be concurrently served.
Toledo, an economist with degrees from the University of San Francisco and Stanford University, is awaiting release from prison on the Lima police base.
The special facility for former country leaders is currently housing two other ex-presidents, Ollanta Humala and Pedro Castillo.
While Martin Vizcarra was detained at the same facility, a top Peruvian court on Wednesday ordered his release while he was awaiting trial for allegedly accepting bribes while he was the Moquegua region governor 11 years ago.
Before his trial, Vizcarra was imprisoned last month and the prosecution requested a 15-year sentence. He has disputed the allegations against him, claiming that they represent political persecution.
In 2026, he had a plan to run for president again.
In this century’s “Car Wash” scandal, almost all of Peru’s presidents and governments have been implicated in the Odebrecht corruption cases.
Source: Aljazeera
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