A Peruvian court has sentenced former President Ollanta Humala and his wife, Nadine Heredia, to a 15-year prison sentence for money laundering in connection to bribes paid by Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht. 

Shortly after the sentence was announced, Heredia requested the Brazilian government grant her and her son political asylum. The Peruvian government published a statement saying that the request had been granted and that they would comply with all the requirements needed for the pair’s safe passage. Humala was taken into custody. 

The court found that between 2006 and 2011, the pair received illicit campaign contributions from Odebrecht and the Venezuelan government under then-President Hugo Chávez. According to prosecutors, the funds were funneled into Humala’s 2006 and 2011 presidential campaigns, helping him rise to power while bypassing electoral financing laws.

The court also mandated the pair pay 10 million soles (approximately US$2.67 million) in civil reparation. Both Humala and Heredia have denied any wrongdoing and are expected to appeal the decision.

The case against Humala and Heredia centered on accusations that they used offshore accounts and shell companies to hide the origin of the illicit funds. Investigators said that these maneuvers were part of a broader regional pattern by Odebrecht, which systematically paid bribes to secure public works contracts throughout Latin America.

The Odebrecht corruption scandal has implicated dozens of political figures across Latin America over the past 20 years. Humala (2011-2016) is one of four former country presidents to be investigated for corruption tied to the Brazilian construction firm and the second to be convicted. 

Former president Alejandro Toledo (2001-2006) was sentenced to a 20-year-6-month sentence in 2024 for accepting bribes in order to allow the construction of a highway. Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, who succeeded Humala and ruled until 2018, is currently under house arrest, accused of money laundering in connection to the same scheme. 

Alan García, another former president linked to the corruption scandal, died by suicide in 2019 as authorities arrived at his home to arrest him for allegedly accepting bribes from Odebrecht during his second term in office (2006-2011).