Peru’s Ex-President Toledo Sentenced to 20 Years for Odebrecht Bribery
Former Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo was sentenced to 20 years and six months in prison on Monday for accepting $35 million in bribes from Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht, The Associated Press reports.
The sentence comes after years of legal battles, including a dispute over Toledo’s extradition from the United States.
The National Superior Court of Specialized Criminal Justice in Lima found Toledo guilty of accepting bribes in exchange for awarding Odebrecht the contract to build a 650-kilometer highway linking Brazil to southern Peru. The project, initially estimated to cost $507 million, ultimately cost Peru $1.25 billion.
Judge Inés Rojas, who presided over the case, stated that Toledo’s victims were the Peruvian people who “trusted” him as their president. She emphasized that Toledo, in his role as president, was responsible for managing public finances and ensuring the proper use of resources. Instead, she said, he “defrauded the state.”
Rojas also read excerpts from the testimony of Jorge Barata, a former Odebrecht executive in Peru, who told prosecutors that Toledo had contacted him multiple times after leaving office, demanding payment. Toledo, who has denied all allegations against him, lowered his gaze and looked at his hands as Rojas read the expletive-laden remarks attributed to Barata.
Toledo’s attorney, Roberto Siu, has stated that they will appeal the sentence.
The former president, who frequently smirked and laughed during the hearing, was first arrested in 2019 at his home in California, where he had been living since 2016. He was extradited to Peru in 2022 and has been under preventive detention since.
Prosecutor José Domingo Pérez described the sentence as “historic” and emphasized that it sends a message to Peruvians that “crimes and corruption are punished.”
Odebrecht, which admitted to paying bribes to secure government contracts across Latin America, rebranded as Novonor in 2020.
Toledo’s conviction marks a significant development in the ongoing investigations into corruption within Peru and throughout the region. The sentence highlights the importance of holding public officials accountable for their actions and underscores the far-reaching impact of Odebrecht’s bribery scheme.
