Former Peruvian President Toledo sentenced to more than 20 years in prison for accepting bribes

(CLO) Former Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo was convicted of accepting bribes from Brazilian construction corporation Odebrecht and sentenced to 20 years and 6 months in prison on Monday (October 21).

The ruling marks Peru's first high-profile conviction in Brazil's high-profile, continent-spanning Lava Jato corruption case.

Mr. Toledo, a 78-year-old economist with a PhD from Stanford University, led Peru from 2001 to 2006. During his year-long trial, Mr. Toledo denied charges of money laundering and collusion.

Prosecutors say he was convicted of taking $35 million in bribes from the company formerly known as Odebrecht in exchange for helping it win a contract to build a road that now connects Peru's southern coast to the Amazon region in western Brazil.

Former Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo during his trial in Lima, Peru on October 21, 2024. Photo: Reuters

Odebrecht, now known as Novonor, is at the centre of Latin America's biggest corruption scandal after admitting in 2016 that it bribed officials in dozens of countries to secure public works contracts.

Last week, Mr. Toledo asked the court to allow him to serve his sentence at home while he battles cancer. “Please let me heal or die at home,” he said.

The sentence was announced in a room set up in a small prison in Lima, where Mr Toledo has been held since last year.

Another former Peruvian president, Pedro Castillo, is also being held there as he faces charges of "rebellion" after trying to dissolve Congress in 2022.

Two other former Peruvian presidents, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski and Ollanta Humala, are also being investigated in the Odebrecht case.

Mr Toledo, who was known for shining shoes as a child, was arrested in the US in 2019 after officials in Peru requested his extradition.

Prosecutors relied on testimony from former Odebrecht chief executive Jorge Barata as well as Mr Toledo's former associate Josef Maiman, who said Mr Toledo had accepted bribes.

Bui Huy (according to Reuters)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/former-president-of-peru-toledo-was-abused-for-20-years-of-life-from-toi-nhan-hoi-lo-post317827.html