Peruvian former President Alejandro Toledo has been sentenced to 20 years and six months in prison after being convicted of accepting $35 million in bribes from the Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht. This landmark ruling, delivered on Monday, represents Peru’s first high-profile conviction tied to the extensive Operation Car Wash (Lava Jato) corruption investigation that has rocked Latin America.
At 78 years old, Toledo, an economist with a doctorate from Stanford University, served as the president of Peru from 2001 to 2006. Prosecutors revealed that he accepted the bribes in exchange for facilitating Odebrecht’s winning bid for a major road construction project connecting Peru’s southern coast to an Amazon region in western Brazil. Odebrecht, now rebranded as Novonor, has been at the heart of one of the continent’s largest bribery scandals, admitting in 2016 to paying off officials in several countries to secure government contracts.
Throughout the year-long trial, Toledo maintained his innocence regarding money laundering and collusion charges. However, during the verdict announcement, he exhibited a range of emotions, often smirking and even laughing when the judge referenced the hefty sums involved and struggled to navigate the case’s evidence.
Notably, last week Toledo made a heartfelt plea to the court, asking for clemency due to his age and health issues, including cancer and heart problems. “Please let me heal or die at home,” he implored with a trembling voice and clasped hands.
Judge Inés Rojas stated that Toledo had betrayed the trust of the Peruvian people, emphasizing his responsibility as president to manage public finances and ensure their proper use. Instead, she asserted, he “defrauded the state.”
The announcement of the sentence took place in a small prison room in Lima, where Toledo has been held since last year, a facility specifically constructed for former presidents. Notably, the prison has housed former leaders like Alberto Fujimori and currently holds ex-president Pedro Castillo, who faces accusations of “rebellion.”
In addition, other former presidents, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski and Ollanta Humala, are under investigation in connection with the Odebrecht scandal. Toledo’s legal troubles began when he was arrested in the United States in 2019, following an extradition request from Peruvian authorities.
Key evidence in the case included testimony from Jorge Barata, a former Odebrecht executive, and Josef Maiman, a former associate of Toledo, both of whom indicated that the ex-president had received illicit payments. Toledo signed the contract with Odebrecht for the road’s construction, although the actual work commenced under subsequent administrations.
