Former Peruvian president Alexander Toledoinvestigated for corruption and money laundering in the context of the mega-scandal of the bribes paid by the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht, he was detained in the Barbadillo prison in Lima, where former presidents Alberto Fujimori and Pedro Castillo are also held.
After being extradited from the United States, Toledo must comply 18 months in custody for the Southern Interoceanic Case pending trial, the Judiciary announced yesterday evening, after excluding house arrest that the defendant asked.
“The ordinance expires in October 2024. If you already have a conviction by then, your stay may be extended for many more years,” local newspaper El Comercio said.
77 years old and diagnosed with cancer According to his lawyers, Toledo arrived yesterday on a flight from Los Angeles in the custody of Interpol agents.
The former president is already in Barbadillo prison, a prison reserved for former presidents.
Also imprisoned there is Fujimori (1990-2000), who is serving a 25-year sentence for crimes against human rights; and the recent former president Castillo (2021-2022), in preventive detention while under investigation for an alleged coup attempt after wanting to shut down Congress.
The prison is attached to two barren hills and has a large soccer field. Dozens of policemen surround him and there is always an ambulance parked.
The transfer to the Toledo prison was made by helicopter from the Los Cibeles police station, with a 15-minute night flight.
Upon his arrival in Lima, Toledo appeared before a judge in a hearing to verify his identity, where he limited himself to giving his name and assuring “that he had passed the medical examination” that had previously been carried out on him.
Peru’s former strongman, who ruled from 2001 to 2006, turned himself in at the request of a judge on Friday morning in federal court in San Jose, California.
What are the judges asking?
He is accused of having received millions of dollars from Odebrecht in exchange for public works contracts. The prosecutors They are asking for 20 years and six months in prison.
Toledo, who has always pleaded innocent, got off the plane under his own power after being wheeled into a wheelchair by bailiffs who sent him to Lima.
The former president was arrested in 2019 in the United States, where he resided after working at Stanford University. He was initially jailed, but in 2020 he was placed under house arrest with an electronic anklet.
In court he will have to answer for the alleged crimes of money laundering, illicit collusion and trafficking in influence, deriving from the alleged receipt of a bribe of approximately 35 million dollars paid by the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht for the award of a part of the Interoceanic Highway, which connects the Pacific of Peru with the Atlantic of Brazil.
The Public Prosecutor asked for a sentence of 20 years and six months’ imprisonment. The case is in the middle stagethat is, the control of the prosecution, in charge of the First National Court of Preparatory Investigation headed by magistrate Richard Concepción Carhuancho.
The Brazilian construction company Odebrecht recognized the payment of bribes in Brazil and other countries of the region in the context of the Lava Jato scandal, for which dozens of Latin American politicians and businessmen are imprisoned.
Lava Jato is the matrix case who discovered the corruption of the Brazilian giant in his country and in the region.
In the case of Toledo, the testimonies of his former collaborator Josef Maiman and Jorge Barata, former representative of Odebrecht in Peru, were fundamental. Both claim that the former president received the bribes.
Four other former Peruvian presidents face prosecution for corruption: Ollanta Humala (2011-2016), Pedro Pablo Kuczynski (2016-2018), Martín Vizcarra (2018-2020) and Pedro Castillo (2021-2022).
Peru was one of the countries in the region hardest hit by the corruption of the Odebrecht scandal, which affected almost all 21st century presidents.
Former President Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000) has also been convicted of corruption, as well as crimes against humanity, and Alan García (2006-2011) committed suicide in 2019 when police were about to arrest him on suspicion of being related to the Odebrecht case. .
Agencies
ap
Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.