Former Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo Sentenced to 20 Years for Corruption

INTERNATIONAL NEWS: Former Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo Sentenced to 20 Years for Corruption

A court in Peru has sentenced ex-President Alejandro Toledo to 20 years and six months in prison for his involvement in corruption and money-laundering. Toledo, who served as Peru’s president from 2001 to 2006, was found guilty of accepting $35 million in bribes from Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht. The bribes were allegedly in exchange for securing a lucrative government contract to build a major highway in southern Peru.

Toledo, now 78, was arrested in California five years ago, where he had been living and working for years. He was extradited back to Peru last year to face trial. The company at the center of the scandal, Odebrecht, has admitted to paying millions of dollars in bribes to officials across Latin America and the United States to secure government contracts. The corruption scheme has ensnared numerous officials and politicians across the region.

Presiding over Toledo’s case, Judge Inés Rojas remarked that as president, Toledo had a duty to protect public resources but instead defrauded the state. She highlighted how the Peruvian people had trusted him with the management of public finances, only to be betrayed by his actions.

Despite the serious accusations, Toledo maintained his innocence throughout the trial. On Monday, he was observed laughing and smirking during the court proceedings, particularly while the judge was speaking, according to reports from the Associated Press.

Toledo is not the only Peruvian leader implicated in corruption tied to Odebrecht. In 2019, former President Alan García tragically took his own life when police arrived to arrest him on similar bribery charges. Additionally, two other former presidents, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski and Ollanta Humala, are also under investigation for their alleged connections to the Odebrecht scandal, which has significantly impacted Peru’s political landscape.

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