Peru: Ex-President Toledo Given 20 Years in Prison for Corruption

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Facts

  • The Superior Court in Lima, Peru, sentenced former Pres. Alejandro Toledo, 78, to 20 years and six months in prison after he was found guilty of accepting $35M in bribes from Brazilian construction company Odebrecht.[1]
  • 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. He was found to have taken bribes in exchange for contracts to build two highway sections.[2][3]
  • According to Judge Inés Rojas, Toledo's actions amounted to 'defraud[ing] the state' and violating the trust of Peruvians who entrusted him with the responsibility of overseeing public finances as their president.[4]
  • The former president, who denied all charges, unsuccessfully requested he be sent home due to his age and health issues, including cancer. His defense will appeal the sentence.[4][5]
  • Toledo, who started from humble beginnings and achieved a PhD from Stanford University, was held in the US in 2019 after Peru requested his extradition. The prosecution built its case on testimonies from former Odebrecht CEO Jorge Barata and Toledo's ex-collaborator Josef Maiman.[6][5]
  • Authorities have for years also been trying to sentence Toledo's wife, Eliane Karp, to more than 16 years in prison for money laundering. She's been in Israel since May 2023, a country that lacks an extradition treaty with Peru.[5]

Sources: [1]France 24, [2]Guardian, [3]South China Morning Post, [4]Associated Press, [5]El País América and [6]Reuters.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by Wsj. This case was cut and dried, with Odebrecht admitting to paying hundreds of millions in bribes to public officials, including the former president. But it's still a victory for prosecutors in their fight against the plague of corruption, as there have been several recent bribery convictions.
  • Narrative B, as provided by Miamiherald. There are still several questions surrounding Toledo's guilt. Notably he lived an incredibly modest lifestyle for someone who allegedly took millions in bribes. It seems unfair to force him to live out his final days behind bars, especially because he has severe health issues.

Predictions