Alejandro Toledo, former President of Peru (2001–2006), has been sentenced to 20 years and six months in prison after being convicted of corruption and money laundering. Toledo was found guilty of accepting $35 million in bribes from the Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht in exchange for awarding a highway construction contract in southern Peru.
Toledo, 78, was arrested in California, where he had been residing for years, and was extradited to Peru in 2023 to face charges. The scandal surrounding Odebrecht, now known as Novonor, has implicated several Latin American officials, including other Peruvian leaders.
During the sentencing, Judge Inés Rojas criticized Toledo for betraying the trust of the Peruvian people, accusing him of defrauding the state. Despite Toledo’s denial of the charges, he was seen smirking and laughing during the trial.
Toledo is not the only Peruvian president tied to the Odebrecht scandal. Former President Alan García tragically took his own life in 2019 when police attempted to arrest him on similar charges, while two other former leaders, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski and Ollanta Humala, are also under investigation.
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