Ex-Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo sentenced to 13 years for money laundering

LIMA(Peru): A Peruvian court has sentenced former President Alejandro Toledo to 13 years and four months in prison for money laundering, his second conviction linked to widespread corruption, Al Jazeera reported.

Toledo, who served as president from 2001 to 2006, was found guilty of using bribe money from the Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht, now known as Novonor, to acquire high-value real estate.

According to prosecutors, Toledo and his wife used $5.1 million to buy a house and an office in an upscale Lima neighbourhood and to pay off mortgages on two other properties. The funds were funnelled through an offshore company in Costa Rica that Toledo created to launder the illicit cash, Al Jazeera reported.

Toledo’s conviction on Wednesday follows a 20-year and six-month sentence handed down in October 2024, when he was found guilty of accepting up to $35 million in bribes from Odebrecht in exchange for awarding the company lucrative public works contracts, Al Jazeera noted.

During his year-long trial, Toledo consistently denied charges of money laundering and collusion levelled against him by prosecutors. His two sentences will be served concurrently.

The 79-year-old economist, who holds degrees from Stanford University and the University of San Francisco, is serving his sentence at a prison on a Lima police base.

Two other former presidents, Ollanta Humala and Pedro Castillo, are also held at the special facility built for former leaders of the country.

Former President Martin Vizcarra, who was jailed last month ahead of his trial for allegedly taking bribes while governor of the Moquegua region 11 years ago, was released by a top Peruvian court on Wednesday while he awaits trial, Al Jazeera reported.

Vizcarra, whose prosecution is seeking a 15-year sentence, has denied the charges, calling them political persecution. He had planned to run for president again in 2026.

The Odebrecht corruption cases, part of the wider “Car Wash” scandal, have implicated governments across Latin America and nearly all of Peru’s presidents this century.

Another former leader, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, 86, is currently on trial for his alleged role in the scheme, with prosecutors seeking a 35-year prison sentence. (ANI)