Peru’s former president, Ollanta Humala, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after being found guilty of money laundering in connection with the far-reaching Odebrecht corruption scandal.
The court in Lima ruled that Humala and his wife, Nadine Heredia, accepted illicit funds from the Brazilian construction giant to finance his presidential campaigns in 2006 and 2011.
Heredia, a co-founder of Peru’s Nationalist Party and Humala’s political partner, received an equal sentence of 15 years.
She was granted asylum by Brazil and will be allowed safe passage to travel there with her son, Peru’s foreign ministry confirmed.
Prosecutors had sought 20 years for Humala and over 26 years for Heredia. Both had denied wrongdoing throughout the lengthy three-year trial.
Humala appeared in court for the sentencing, while Heredia attended virtually.
The conviction marks a stunning fall for the 62-year-old former military officer who once led an uprising against President Alberto Fujimori in 2000.
In his 2006 campaign, Humala aligned himself with Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez but repositioned himself as a moderate in 2011, emulating Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
His 2011 victory over Keiko Fujimori was followed by a turbulent presidency marred by social unrest and political isolation.
Legal troubles emerged after he left office in 2016, as Odebrecht admitted to paying bribes across Latin America.
Humala and Heredia were accused of receiving millions in illegal donations, leading to their pre-trial detention in 2017 and eventual conviction in one of Peru’s most high-profile corruption cases to date.
