Julius Kiprop
- Former Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo was sentenced to 20 years and six months for corruption and money laundering.
- He is accused of accepting $35 million in bribes from Brazilian company Odebrecht to secure a road construction contract.
- Toledo, 78, was extradited from the U.S. last year after living in California.
- His sentencing follows a wider corruption scandal involving several former Peruvian presidents and Odebrecht’s bribery across Latin America.
In a significant ruling, former Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo was sentenced to 20 years and six months in prison for his involvement in corruption and money laundering. Prosecutors alleged that Toledo received $35 million in bribes from the Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht, securing a lucrative contract to build a road in southern Peru during his presidency.
Toledo, who served as Peru’s president from 2001 to 2006, has long denied these allegations. However, after years of legal proceedings, he was extradited to Peru from the United States, where he had resided after his presidency. His sentence is the latest development in the wide-reaching Odebrecht scandal, which exposed systemic corruption across Latin America, as the company admitted to paying officials in multiple countries to win government contracts.
Judge Inés Rojas condemned Toledo’s actions, stating that he had violated the trust of the Peruvian people. The judge criticized him for defrauding the state instead of safeguarding public finances. Despite these serious accusations, Toledo appeared unfazed during the proceedings, reportedly smirking and laughing as the judge delivered her verdict.
The Odebrecht scandal has implicated several former Peruvian presidents. In 2019, former president Alan García took his own life when police arrived at his residence to arrest him over similar bribery accusations. Other leaders, including Pedro Pablo Kuczynski and Ollanta Humala, are still under investigation in connection with Odebrecht’s bribes.
Alejandro Toledo’s sentencing is a major step in Peru’s efforts to tackle corruption at the highest levels of government. The case continues to affect prominent political figures across the region, shedding light on the far-reaching influence of corporate bribery in Latin America.
