Former Peruvian President Ollanta Humala and Wife Nadine Heredia Sentenced to 15 Years Each for Money Laundering Involving Odebrecht and Hugo Chavez

Ollanta Humala, the former President of Peru who served from 2011 to 2016, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for aggravated money laundering. The conviction stems from illicit contributions received from the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht and the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez to finance his election campaigns in 2006 and 2011. Humala allegedly concealed $3 million from Odebrecht for his successful 2011 campaign and diverted about $200,000 from Chavez through the Kayzamak company for his 2006 campaign. Humala's wife, Nadine Heredia, who co-founded the Nationalist Party with him, was also found guilty of the same offense and sentenced to 15 years in prison for managing those campaigns. Humala's brother-in-law, Ilán Heredia, received a 12-year sentence. The court's decision concludes over three years of hearings related to the Lava Jato scandal in Peru. Odebrecht, at the center of a major corruption scandal across Latin America, admitted in 2016 to distributing tens of millions of dollars in bribes and illegal campaign contributions in Peru since the early 21st century. The Peruvian prosecution's case also implicated other former Peruvian presidents: Alan Garcia, who committed suicide in 2019 before his arrest; Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, still under investigation; and Alejandro Toledo, sentenced in 2024 to over 20 years in prison for receiving bribes. Marcelo Odebrecht, former CEO of the company, provided testimony against Humala.