He and his wife are accused of laundering money in a scandal involving Odebrecht, a Brazilian construction giant. This scandal has stained many political leaders in South America over the past two decades.
Humala is the Peruvian ex-president who is currently on trial for the largest graft scandal in Latin America. However, three other ex-presidents were also involved.
Prosecutors charged Humala and Humala’s wife with receiving more than $3 million from Odebrecht to support his presidential campaigns in 2006-2011. Both deny any wrongdoing.
Humala, a former army colonel, was elected in 2006. He lost the 2006 election. Prosecutors are seeking a 20-year sentence to the former leader, and 26 years to his wife Nadine Heredia. She’s accused of using the money for some properties.
In a U.S. Justice Department plea deal, Odebrecht admitted to having paid $800 million in bribes for lucrative contracts in public works.
Because of the pandemic, the trial is virtual.
Humala and his spouse were taken into custody in 2017 as preventative measures. They were released the following year. The ex-president and former first lady are now under house arrest. However, he must report to court each month to sign and register before a judge.
Peru’s political system has been shaken by the Odebrecht corruption scandal. Nearly every former president is now under investigation.
Alejandro Toledo was the former President of Mexico, and was in office from 2001 through 2006. He is currently under house arrest on similar charges.
In the Odebrecht corruption scandal, three other Peruvian presidents were also involved.
Former leader Alan Garcia was in office from 2006 until 2011, and shot himself in his head when authorities arrived at his house to arrest him in connection to the Odebrecht probe.
