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Post Reply: Peru Court Sentences Former President Humala to 15 Years for Graft

<blockquote><div class="quotetitle">Quote from <a class="profile-link highlight-moderator" href="https://lawguide.co.ke/understanding-law/legal-forum/profile/lawyer/">Lawyer</a> on April 16, 2025, 7:12 am</div><div id="pl-4348"  class="panel-layout" ><div id="pg-4348-0"  class="panel-grid panel-no-style" ><div id="pgc-4348-0-0"  class="panel-grid-cell"  data-weight="1" ><div id="panel-4348-0-0-0" class="so-panel widget widget_sow-editor panel-first-child panel-last-child" data-index="0" data-style="{&quot;background_image_attachment&quot;:false,&quot;background_display&quot;:&quot;tile&quot;,&quot;background_image_size&quot;:&quot;full&quot;,&quot;background_image_opacity&quot;:&quot;100&quot;,&quot;border_thickness&quot;:&quot;1px&quot;}" ><div
			
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	A Peruvian court has sentenced former President Ollanta Humala and his wife, Nadine Heredia, to 15 years in prison for their roles in a high-profile money laundering case linked to the Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht. The ruling marks a significant development in Peru’s ongoing battle against corruption, as the Odebrecht scandal continues to reverberate across Latin America.

The National Superior Court in Lima found Humala, 62, and Heredia guilty of laundering illicit funds received from Odebrecht and the Venezuelan government to finance Humala’s presidential campaigns in 2006 and 2011. Prosecutors alleged that the couple accepted $3 million in illegal contributions from Odebrecht for the 2011 campaign, which Humala won, defeating right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori. Additionally, they were charged with diverting approximately $200,000 from Venezuela’s then-president Hugo Chávez for Humala’s unsuccessful 2006 bid. Heredia faced further charges for concealing real estate purchases made with some of the illicit funds.

Judge Nayko Coronado, one of the three judges presiding over the case, ordered Humala’s immediate incarceration following the verdict. Humala, a former army officer who served as president from 2011 to 2016, was taken into custody in the courtroom. Heredia, who did not attend the sentencing due to health concerns, sought diplomatic asylum at the Brazilian embassy in Lima. Peru’s foreign ministry later confirmed that Brazil granted her asylum, along with safe passage for her and her youngest son to travel to Brazil.

The Odebrecht case is one of the largest corruption scandals in Latin American history. In 2016, the Brazilian construction conglomerate admitted to paying over $788 million in bribes to secure infrastructure contracts across multiple countries, including $29 million to Peruvian officials between 2005 and 2014. The company agreed to pay $3.5 billion in penalties to authorities in Brazil, the United States, and Switzerland. In Peru, the scandal has implicated multiple former presidents, including Alejandro Toledo, who was sentenced to over 20 years in prison in 2024 for accepting bribes, and Alan García, who died by suicide in 2019 as authorities attempted to arrest him.

Humala became the first Peruvian ex-president to face trial in the Odebrecht case in 2022. The court’s decision to sentence him and Heredia underscores Peru’s efforts to hold high-ranking officials accountable for corruption, though the case has sparked debate about judicial fairness and political motivations.

Humala’s legal team, led by attorney Wilfredo Pedraza, denounced the sentence as “excessive” and vowed to appeal, arguing that prosecutors failed to prove the illicit origin of the funds. The appeal process is expected to begin once the court issues its final ruling on April 29, 2025. Meanwhile, Heredia’s asylum in Brazil has raised questions about international cooperation in corruption cases, as Peru and Brazil navigate diplomatic protocols under the 1954 Convention on Diplomatic Asylum.

The verdict adds to the legal woes of Peru’s political elite. Keiko Fujimori, Humala’s 2011 opponent, spent 16 months in pre-trial detention for her own alleged ties to Odebrecht, while former President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski remains under house arrest. The widespread investigations have fueled public distrust in Peru’s political institutions, highlighting the pervasive influence of corruption in the country’s governance.

Humala’s conviction is part of a broader reckoning with corruption in Latin America, where the Odebrecht scandal has toppled political figures and exposed systemic graft. The case serves as a reminder of the importance of robust legal frameworks to combat money laundering and ensure transparency in campaign financing. For legal professionals, it underscores the complexities of prosecuting high-profile corruption cases, balancing due process with public demand for accountability.

As Peru continues to grapple with the fallout from the Odebrecht scandal, the international community watches closely, recognizing the case’s implications for anti-corruption efforts worldwide.</div>
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