Peru ex-president released after court quashes 15-year corruption sentence

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Peru’s former president Ollanta Humala on Friday was released from prison after his 15-year sentence for money laundering, linked to a massive graft scandal involving Brazilian construction group Odebrecht, was overturned.

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Humala, a former army officer who led the country from 2011 to 2016, left the prison in Lima in a vehicle at about 7:40 pm (0040 GMT Saturday), under police escort.

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A crowd of supporters was on hand to see his release.

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Humala, 64, was the first Peruvian ex-leader to face trial in the Odebrecht corruption scandal, which has also tainted three other former presidents.

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All four were serving their sentences in a prison reserved especially for them, on a police base.

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Humala and his wife were convicted last year for receiving illegal contributions from Odebrecht and the Venezuelan government in two presidential campaigns.

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“We have been victims of political and judicial persecution,” Humala told reporters outside the small prison facility.

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His wife Nadine Heredia sought asylum in Brazil after her conviction, and remains there.

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Peru’s Constitutional Court declared Humala’s sentence null and void, in a ruling published Thursday.

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In 2016, Odebrecht agreed to pay $3.5 billion in penalties after having spent $788 million in bribes to foreign leaders and government officials in order to win infrastructure projects in Latin America.

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Odebrecht admitted to having paid at least $29 million in bribes to Peruvian officials between 2005 and 2014.

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AFP

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