Former president Ollanta Humala sentenced to 15 years in prison in Peru for the Odebrecht case

Peruvian courts sentenced the ex-president Ollanta Humala to 15 years in prison on Tuesday after finding him guilty of money laundering for receiving illegal contributions from the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht and the Government of Venezuela for his 2011 and 2006 campaigns, respectively.

Humala, 62, was detained in the courtroom at the end of the reading of his sentence.

He is the second former leader convicted by his country's justice system out of a total of four ex-presidents splashed by the Odebrecht corruption scheme in Peru.

The first instance ruling will be appealed by the former president's defense.

The Odebrecht case and billions of dollars siphoned off

Odebrecht, whose bribery and corruption scandal reached several countries in Latin America, admitted in 2016 to having distributed tens of millions of dollars in bribes and illegal electoral donations in Peru since the beginning of the 21st century.

Tuesday's ruling ended more than three years of hearings against the center-left former lieutenant colonel who led Peru between 2011 and 2016.

According to prosecutors, the scandal also implicated Alan Garcia (2006-2011), who committed suicide in 2019 before being arrested; Pedro Pablo Kuczynski (2016-2018), still under investigation; and Alejandro Toledo (2001-2006).

Toledo was sentenced in 2024 to more than 20 years in prison for receiving millions in bribes in exchange for works in his government.

Prison sentence for his wife

Humala's wife, Nadine Heredia, was also sentenced to 15 years in prison for money laundering. The judge ordered her capture since she did not attend the reading of the sentence.

The prosecution charged them with money laundering for allegedly concealing that they received $3 million USD from Odebrecht for the 2011 campaign that led him to the presidency, according to what the former number one of the Brazilian company, Marcelo Odebrecht, told Peruvian prosecutors.

According to the indictment, in their failed 2006 campaign the couple would have also diverted some $200,000 sent by the then Venezuelan president, Hugo Chávez, through a company in that country.

The prosecution had requested 20 years in prison for Humala and 26 years for Heredia, who was also accused of concealing funds for "purchases of real estate with Odebrecht money."

The couple always denied having received money from Chávez or from any Brazilian company during the trial.