Peru’s ex-president Toledo gets more than 20 years in prison in case linked to corruption scandal
NPR Online NewsOCT 12 2024
The Superior Court in Lima, Peru, sentenced former Pres. Alejandro Toledo, 78, to 20.5 years in prison after he was found guilty of accepting $35M in bribes from Brazilian construction company Odebrecht.
During his presidency from 2001-2006, Toledo signed a deal with Odebrecht to build a road connecting the southern coast to western Brazil's Amazon region. However, he was convicted of taking bribes in exchange for contracts to build two sections of the highway.During his 2001-2006 presidency, Toledo signed a deal with Odebrecht to build a road connecting the southern coast to western Brazil's Amazon region, during which he was found to have taken bribes in exchange for contracts to build two highway sections.
According to Judge Inés Rojas, Toledo’s actions amounted to "defrauding the state" and violating the trust of Peruvians who entrusted him with the responsibility of overseeing public finances as their president.
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.