Peru’s ex-president Toledo gets more than 20 years in prison in case linked to corruption scandal
NPR Online NewsNOV 2024
The pan-Latin American bribery scandal involving the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht, which exchanged bribes for political favors, led to the downfall of former Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo. Corruption probes have resulted in the arrest of several public officials in Peru, Ecuador, and Panama. Investigations regarding the construction company are also underway in Mexico and Guatemala. Additionally, two other ex-presidents, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski and Ollanta Humala, are also under investigation.
Former Peruvian president Alejandro Toledo has consistently maintained his innocence since Peruvian authorities requested his extradition from the US in 2019. Throughout the year-long trial, Toledo has claimed that the Peruvian Prosecutor's office relied solely on the inconsistent and contradictory testimonies of the Israeli businessman Josef Maiman and the former representative of Odebrecht in Peru, Jorge Barata, whom he referred to as "international criminals" masquerading as businessmen. Toledo will appeal the sentence.