A Peruvian court today sentenced ex-President Martín Vizcarra to 14 years in prison after finding him guilty of bribery committed years before he took office, adding him to a long list of former Peruvian leaders jailed for corruption.
Immediate detention ordered
Vizcarra, who served as president from 2018 to 2020, was taken into custody immediately after the ruling. Judge Jorge Chávez cited “flight risk” and ordered his transfer to a small prison in eastern Lima where three other former presidents (Alejandro Toledo, Ollanta Humala, and Pedro Castillo) are already detained.
Bribery charges from regional governorship
Prosecutors accused Vizcarra of accepting 2.3 million soles (around $640,000) in bribes from construction companies in exchange for public works contracts while he was governor of Moquegua region.
He is also under investigation for allegedly leading a corruption ring that awarded jobs and state contracts in exchange for kickbacks during his presidency, which Congress cut short by impeaching him in 2020.
The probe followed the 2024 arrests of three former officials and a businessman linked to a criminal organisation dubbed “The Untouchables of Corruption.”
Vizcarra denies all charges, calling them political revenge by his opponents.
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