Peru's constitutional court has voided the criminal proceedings against former President Ollanta Humala, effectively overturning the 15-year prison sentence he received in 2025. Humala, who served as president from 2011 to 2016, had been convicted on charges related to accepting illicit funds from the Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht and the late Venezuelan leader Hugo Chávez to finance his 2006 and 2011 election campaigns.
Following the court's decision, Humala is expected to be released from Lima's Barbadillo Prison. His legal representative, Julio Espinoza Goyena, stated on social media that the court determined the campaign contributions in question did not amount to money laundering, adding that the Criminal Chamber should now order the definitive dismissal of the case.
Humala and his wife, Nadine Heredia, were accused of receiving $3 million from Odebrecht and $200,000 from Chávez. While Humala faced imprisonment, Heredia, who was also convicted of money laundering, sought asylum at the Brazilian embassy and was granted safe passage to Brazil.
The case was part of a broader investigation into the Odebrecht scandal, which has implicated several former Peruvian leaders, including Alejandro Toledo, Alan García, and Pedro Pablo Kuczynski. Throughout the legal process, Humala and Heredia consistently denied the allegations, characterizing the proceedings as political persecution.
Source: BBC News
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