Received about 4.3 billion KRW from construction company
Fabricated false explanations about the source of funds
Used as presidential campaign funds or for real estate purchases
Former president couple sentenced to 15 years in prison in foreign construction company corruption scandal that shook Peruvian politics.
On the 15th (local time), Peru's 3rd Criminal Court sentenced former president Ollanta Humala (62) and his wife Nadine Heredia (48), who were charged with money laundering and other offenses, to 15 years in prison each, the Peruvian judiciary announced via X (formerly Twitter).
Humala, who was in power from 2011 to 2016, was tried on charges of receiving 3 million USD (approximately 4.3 billion KRW at current exchange rates) from the large Brazilian construction company Odebrecht before taking office and fabricating false explanations about the source of the funds.
Peruvian prosecutors confirmed that the illegally obtained assets were used as campaign funds for the presidential election or to purchase real estate. Previously, the prosecutors had requested sentences of 20 years and 26 years for Humala and his wife, respectively.
Odebrecht is a company that caused a massive bribery scandal not only in Brazil but throughout South America. It distributed money to high-ranking officials in the political and government sectors to secure public contracts, with the total amount reportedly reaching 800 million USD (approximately 1.1 trillion KRW). In Peru, four former top officials, including Humala, have been implicated in the Odebrecht case.
Meanwhile, former president Alejandro Toledo (79), who was in office from 2001 to 2006, was sentenced to 20 years and 6 months in prison last year. Prosecutors are currently investigating former president Pedro Pablo Kuczynski (86), who served from 2016 to 2018.
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