By tf-lawyer.com Alejandro Toledo, the former President of Peru, has been sentenced to 20 years and 6 months in prison for serious corruption and money laundering. The conviction, reported by Reuters, marks a significant moment in the “Car Wash” scandal that has implicated numerous countries across the Americas, being the first high-profile conviction in Peru connected to this massive corruption case.
Toledo, who is 78 years old and an economist with a Ph.D. from Stanford University, served as Peru’s president from 2001 to 2006. Prosecutors allege that he accepted $35 million in bribes from the Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht, which enabled the company to secure a contract for a highway project that links Peru’s southern coast with Brazil’s western Amazon region.
Throughout the year-long trial, Toledo maintained his innocence, claiming he did not engage in money laundering or conspiracy. Odebrecht, which has since rebranded as Novonor, admitted in 2016 to bribing officials in several countries to win public works contracts, becoming the epicenter of Latin America’s largest corruption scandal.
Last week, Toledo requested to serve his sentence at home, citing his ongoing battle with cancer. He has been incarcerated in a small prison in Lima, Peru’s capital, since last year, and the sentence was delivered within the confines of his cell.
Peruvian authorities had previously sought his extradition due to his involvement in the case, leading to his arrest in the United States in 2019.
