Former Peruvian President, Alejandro Toledo, was sentenced to 20 years and six months in prison on Monday for his involvement in a bribery scheme connected to the Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht, a company notorious for its widespread corruption across Latin America.
Odebrecht, which paid substantial bribes to officials throughout the region, sought to secure government contracts, including in Peru, where Toledo allegedly played a pivotal role.
Authorities accused Toledo of accepting a staggering $35 million in bribes from Odebrecht in return for greenlighting the construction of a highway linking Brazil and southern Peru, a project that ballooned in cost from its original estimate of $507 million to $1.25 billion.
This scandal not only tarnished Toledo’s presidency, which spanned from 2001 to 2006, but also ensnared three other former Peruvian presidents in accusations of receiving illicit payments from the construction firm.
The sentence, handed down by the National Superior Court of Specialized Criminal Justice in Lima, followed years of intense legal battles, including disputes over Toledo’s extradition from the United States, where he had been residing.
Judge Inés Rojas, delivering the verdict, noted that the true victims of Toledo’s crimes were the Peruvian people, who had “trusted” him as their leader.
Rojas emphasized that Toledo, as president, was responsible for safeguarding the nation’s public resources, stating, “He defrauded the state” by failing to uphold his duty to ensure the proper management of public finances.
In her ruling, Rojas underscored that Toledo “had the duty to act with absolute neutrality, protect and preserve the assets of the state, avoiding their abuse or exploitation,” but instead, he engaged in corrupt dealings with Odebrecht.
The court’s findings were supported by testimony from Jorge Barata, a former Odebrecht executive in Peru, who recounted how Toledo had repeatedly demanded bribe payments, even after leaving office.
Barata’s testimony, which included colorful language reflecting the ex-president’s demands, was read aloud in court, during which Toledo sat quietly, looking at his hands.
Despite the gravity of the accusations, Toledo maintained a defiant demeanor throughout the hearing, often smirking and laughing at the mention of the sums of money involved.
His attorney, Roberto Siu, announced plans to appeal the sentence, while Toledo himself had previously pleaded with the court to allow him to return home due to his age, cancer, and heart problems. His request was denied.
Toledo’s legal troubles began when he was arrested in 2019 at his home in California, where he had returned in 2016 to take up a visiting scholar position at Stanford University.
After being held in solitary confinement in a county jail near San Francisco, Toledo was placed under house arrest during the COVID-19 pandemic due to concerns over his health.
He was eventually extradited to Peru in 2022 after a U.S. court ruled against his challenge to the extradition.
Judge Rojas confirmed that Toledo will receive credit for time served, starting in April 2023, and will complete his sentence at a prison outside Lima designed for former Peruvian presidents.
Prosecutor José Domingo Pérez hailed the verdict as “historic,” stating that it demonstrated to the Peruvian public that “crimes and corruption are punished.”
The Odebrecht scandal, which first came to light when the company admitted to bribing officials across Latin America as part of a 2016 U.S.
Department of Justice investigation, has led to widespread political fallout across the continent, with Peru being one of the hardest hit. In 2020, Odebrecht rebranded as Novonor, in an effort to distance itself from the corruption that had tainted its name.
