- Former Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo sentenced to 20 years for corruption
- Toledo served from 2001-2006 and has now been convicted of accepting $35 million in bribes
- He accepted bribes from Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht in exchange for a major road-building contract
Former Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo sentenced to 20 years for corruption
A Peruvian court has sentenced ex-President Alejandro Toledo to 20 years and six months in prison for corruption and money laundering. Toledo, who served as president from 2001 to 2006, was convicted of accepting $35 million in bribes from Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht in exchange for awarding a major road-building contract in southern Peru.
Toledo, 78, was arrested in California five years ago, where he had been living, and was extradited to Peru in 2023 to face charges. Odebrecht, now rebranded as Novonor, has admitted to paying millions in bribes to secure government contracts across Latin America and the U.S.
Judge Inés Rojas stated that Toledo betrayed the trust of Peruvians, who had expected him to safeguard public finances, but instead he “defrauded the state.” During the sentencing, Toledo repeatedly smirked and laughed, according to reports.
This case is part of a wider corruption scandal that has implicated several former Peruvian leaders. In 2019, ex-President Alan García died by suicide as police arrived to arrest him over similar bribery charges involving Odebrecht. Two other former presidents, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski and Ollanta Humala, are also under investigation in connection with the scandal.