Peru: Expresident Sentenced To 14 Yeas For Corruption

Peru's ex-president jailed for 14 years for corruption By DPA, 10 hours ago A Peruvian court has sentenced former president Martín Vizcarra to 14 years in prison for corruption. A court in the capital Lima found it proven that Vizcarra, who was president from 2018 to 2020, accepted bribes from construction companies in 2014 during his time as governor of the province of Moquegua in connection with the awarding of public contracts. "This is not justice, this is revenge," Vizcarra wrote on the social media platform X after the verdict was announced. "But they will not break me. The answer lies in the ballot box." His brother Mario Vizcarra is running in next year's presidential election and wants to pardon the former president if he wins. Several former presidents already behind bars In Peru, almost all heads of state of the past 25 years have had problems with the justice system. In April, former president Ollanta Humala (2011-16) was sentenced to 15 years in prison for money laundering, and last year Alejandro Toledo (2001-06) was sentenced to 20 years and six months in prison for corruption. A criminal trial is currently under way of former president Pedro Castillo (2021-22) for an attempted coup d'état. Pedro Pablo Kuczynski (2016-18) is under investigation for corruption. Former president Alan García (1985-90 and 2006-11) killed himself in 2019 when the police tried to arrest him on corruption charges.