RIO DE JANEIRO, Oct 22 – Former Peruvian president Alejandro Toledo was sentenced to 20 years and six months in prison on Monday for accepting bribes in connection with a corruption scandal involving Brazilian construction company Odebrecht.
A court in Lima found that Toledo, who governed Peru from 2001 to 2006, accepted a bribe of US$35 million in return for a contract to build a section of the Interoceanic Highway connecting Rio de Janeiro to Lima, reported German news agency dpa.
The 78-year-old had caused financial damage to the state, said the court. The case, known as the Odebrecht affair, is considered to be the largest corruption scandal in Latin America
Peru had issued an arrest warrant for Toledo in 2017 and requested his extradition from the United States, where he had fled after leaving office. He was taken into US custody in 2019 and a protracted legal process followed. Last year, Toledo turned himself in to US authorities and was extradited to Peru.
Toledo has denied the allegations and said he is a victim of political persecution.
The US Justice Department said the construction giant, founded by German immigrants, paid nearly US$800 million in bribes to individuals in 12 countries.
Construction projects often end up costing exponentially more than planned. For example, the section of the Interoceanic Highway in Peru ended up costing US$2.1 billion instead of the planned US$850 million.
