Peru: Former President Ollanta Humala, Wife Sentenced to 15 Years for Money Laundering
A Peruvian court sentenced former President Ollanta Humala and his wife, Nadine Heredia, to 15 years in prison on Tuesday for money laundering related to illegal campaign financing. The couple was found guilty of receiving around $3 million from Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht and the Venezuelan government to fund Humala’s 2006 and 2011 presidential bids, which Heredia managed.
Judge Nayko Coronado ordered their immediate detention, confirming that the prosecution had proven the couple’s involvement in laundering illicit funds. Following the ruling, Heredia sought political asylum at the Brazilian Embassy in Lima. Peru’s Foreign Ministry later confirmed she had submitted a formal asylum request under the 1954 Convention on Diplomatic Asylum.
Heredia’s brother, Ilan Heredia, was also sentenced to 12 years in prison in connection with the case. Humala is set to serve his sentence at Barbadillo Prison in Lima, where other former Peruvian presidents are held. He becomes the third Peruvian leader jailed over the Odebrecht scandal, joining Alejandro Toledo and Alberto Fujimori.
