Former President of Peru gets 20-year sentence for bribery
Former President of Peru Alejandro Toledo (screenshot from the video)
A Peruvian court has sentenced former president Alejandro Toledo to 20 years and six months in prison in a case linked to the Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht. The company spent millions of dollars on bribes to government officials and others across Latin America, reports AP.
Authorities accused Toledo of receiving a $35 million bribe from Odebrecht in exchange for permission to build a highway. The court in Lima issued the ruling after many years of legal disputes, including a debate over whether Toledo, who led Peru from 2001 to 2006, could be extradited from the US.
Odebrecht, which constructed some of the most significant infrastructure projects in Latin America, confessed to US authorities in 2016 to buying government contracts across the region for generous bribes. The US Justice Department's investigation led to probes in several countries, including Mexico, Guatemala, and Ecuador.
In Peru, authorities have accused Toledo and three other former presidents of receiving payments from the construction giant. They claim Toledo received $35 million from Odebrecht in exchange for a contract to build a 650-kilometer highway connecting Brazil to southern Peru.
Toledo has denied the allegations. His lawyer, Roberto Siu, told reporters after the hearing that they would appeal the verdict.
Prosecutor José Domingo Pérez called the ruling historic and stated that it demonstrates to Peruvians that crimes and corruption are punishable.
