Peru’s Former President Ollanta Humala Sentenced to 15 Years for Money Laundering

Peru’s Ex-President and First Lady Sentenced to 15 Years for Money Laundering

Court Finds Ollanta Humala and Nadine Heredia Guilty of Accepting Illicit Campaign Funds

Peru's former president Ollanta Humala has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after being found guilty of money laundering. A court in Lima ruled that Humala accepted millions in illegal campaign contributions from Brazil’s Odebrecht construction conglomerate and Venezuela’s former president Hugo Chávez.

His wife and political partner, Nadine Heredia, received the same sentence. She was granted asylum in Brazil and has since left Peru, evading an arrest warrant issued shortly before the court ruling.

Illegal Financing from Chávez and Odebrecht

According to the court, Humala received $3 million from Odebrecht to finance his successful 2011 presidential campaign. In addition, prosecutors accused him and Heredia of accepting $200,000 from then-Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez to support his earlier 2006 run.

While both have denied wrongdoing and claim they are victims of political persecution, prosecutors argued that the funds were knowingly concealed and illegally incorporated into the couple’s political operations.

The couple co-founded Peru’s Nationalist Party, which they used as a platform for both elections.

Humala in Custody, Heredia Granted Safe Passage

Following the verdict, the 62-year-old Humala was taken into custody and transferred to Barbadillo prison, where former presidents Alejandro Toledo and Pedro Castillo are also being held on corruption-related charges.

Heredia, however, took refuge in the Brazilian embassy in Lima prior to sentencing. Brazil granted her asylum, and the Peruvian government agreed to honor the 1954 Caracas Convention on Diplomatic Asylum, allowing her and their son safe passage to Brazil. She has since arrived in Brasília and is expected to settle in São Paulo.

A Widening Corruption Scandal

The conviction is the latest in a series of high-profile cases tied to the Odebrecht scandal, which has implicated several former Peruvian presidents.

• Alejandro Toledo (2001–2006) was sentenced in 2023 to over 20 years in prison for accepting $35 million in bribes from Odebrecht.

• Alan García (1985–1990, 2006–2011) died by suicide in 2019 as police prepared to arrest him over alleged Odebrecht-related corruption.

• Pedro Pablo Kuczynski (2016–2018) resigned under pressure and faced impeachment after revelations that Odebrecht had paid him during his time as a government official. He has denied any wrongdoing.

• Pedro Castillo (2021–2022) is also incarcerated on unrelated charges after being ousted in 2022.

Humala was the first president to be formally investigated in connection with the Odebrecht case, with legal proceedings beginning shortly after his term ended in 2016.

Political and Legal Ramifications

Prosecutors initially sought a 20-year sentence for Humala and over 25 years for Heredia. Defense lawyer Wilfredo Pedraza criticized the 15-year sentence as "excessive" and confirmed that appeals will be filed.

Heredia’s absence from court highlighted tensions between legal and diplomatic protocols. Her last-minute asylum request and swift exit drew criticism from some Peruvian political figures who questioned the government’s willingness to enforce accountability.

Despite these developments, Heredia has stated she will cooperate with judicial proceedings from abroad.

Who Is Ollanta Humala?

A former army officer, Humala first gained public attention in 2000 by leading a short-lived military uprising against President Alberto Fujimori. He later entered politics, running unsuccessfully in 2006 on a populist platform modeled on Hugo Chávez’s Bolivarian revolution.

He returned in 2011 with a more moderate stance inspired by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and defeated right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori, daughter of the former president. Despite initial popularity, his administration was marred by social unrest and conflicts with indigenous and rural communities.

After leaving office in 2016, Humala and Heredia faced mounting legal scrutiny. They were held in pre-trial detention for a year in 2017 but released pending further investigation. The current sentencing marks the conclusion of a years-long judicial process.

Stay tuned to The Horizons Times for updates on political accountability and anti-corruption developments across Latin America.