In a recent court hearing, former Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo was sentenced to 20 years and six months in prison for corruption and money laundering. Prosecutors accused Toledo of accepting $35 million in bribes from Odebrecht, a Brazilian construction company that secured a contract for road construction in southern Peru.
Toledo, now 78 years old, served as president from 2001 to 2006. He was arrested in California five years ago, where he had been living and working, and was extradited to Peru last year.
The judge, Inés Rojas, highlighted the breach of trust involved, stating that Peruvians had placed their confidence in Toledo to manage public finances and protect state resources. Instead, she remarked that he had “defrauded the state,” according to the Associated Press.
Throughout the proceedings, Toledo maintained his innocence, often smirking and laughing during the judge’s comments, as reported by various news agencies.
This case follows a troubling trend in Peru’s political history, where corruption scandals have plagued several former leaders. Notably, in 2019, another former president, Alan García, tragically took his own life as police arrived to arrest him on bribery charges related to Odebrecht, which has since rebranded itself as Novonor. Additionally, former presidents Pedro Pablo Kuczynski and Ollanta Humala are currently under investigation tied to the same corruption scandal involving Odebrecht.
