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Former Peruvian President Ollanta Humala Sentenced to 15 Years for Money Laundering
Lima, Peru – Ollanta Humala, the former president of Peru, has been convicted of money laundering and handed a 15-year prison term, marking a significant development in the nation’s ongoing fight against corruption. The verdict, delivered by a court in Peru’s capital, concludes a protracted legal battle involving illicit campaign financing.
Court Finds Humala Accepted Odebrecht Funds for Campaigns
The court determined that Humala illicitly accepted funds from Odebrecht, a prominent Brazilian construction conglomerate, to illegally finance his presidential campaigns in 2006 and 2011. Odebrecht has been at the center of a widespread corruption scandal engulfing Latin American politics.
Nadine Heredia, Humala’s wife and co-founder of the Nationalist Party, also faced similar charges. She too was found guilty of money laundering and received a matching 15-year prison sentence in connection to the same case.
Asylum Granted to Heredia; Prosecutors Sought Stiffer Sentences
Peru’s foreign ministry confirmed that Heredia has been granted asylum by Brazil and will be permitted safe passage to travel there with her son. This development adds another layer of complexity to the unfolding legal drama.
State prosecutors had initially sought even harsher penalties against the couple, requesting a 20-year jail term for Humala and 26 and a half years for Heredia, indicating the severity of the allegations.
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Verdict Follows Lengthy Trial; Couple Denies Wrongdoing
The court’s decision comes after a trial spanning over three years, reaching a long-awaited conclusion on Tuesday. Humala was present in court for the reading of the judgment, while Heredia participated remotely via video conference.
Throughout the legal proceedings, both the 62-year-old former president and his wife have maintained their innocence, consistently denying any involvement in illicit activities.
Humala’s Political Background and Presidential Bids
Before his presidency, Humala, a former army officer, gained prominence for his role in combating the Maoist Shining Path insurgency. He first captured national attention in 2000 when he led a brief military rebellion against then-President Alberto Fujimori.
In 2006, Humala launched his first presidential campaign. During this period, he aligned himself with Venezuela’s then-President Hugo Chávez. Prosecutors later alleged that Humala accepted illegal funds from Chávez to bankroll this initial campaign.
His political opponent, Alan García, effectively used Humala’s ties to Chávez to undermine his campaign, cautioning voters against allowing Peru to become “another Venezuela.”
Undeterred, Humala ran for president again in 2011, this time adopting a more moderate political platform. He distanced himself from Chávez’s socialist model, instead stating his intention to emulate the policies of Brazil’s then-president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
This revised approach proved politically successful, leading to his victory over right-wing rival Keiko Fujimori in the presidential election.
However, his time in office was marked by social unrest and a decline in public approval, further compounded by diminishing support within Congress.
The Odebrecht Scandal and Subsequent Investigation
Humala’s legal troubles surfaced shortly after his presidential term concluded in 2016. In that year, Odebrecht, a Brazilian construction giant, admitted to engaging in widespread bribery, paying hundreds of millions of dollars to government officials and political parties across Latin America to secure lucrative business contracts.
Peruvian prosecutors subsequently accused Humala and Heredia of receiving millions of dollars in illicit payments from Odebrecht as part of this bribery scheme.
A judge ordered pre-trial detention for the couple a year later as investigations intensified. While they were released after a year of detention, the probe into their connections with Odebrecht continued, ultimately culminating in the guilty verdict delivered by the court.