A Peruvian court sentenced former President Ollanta Humala and his wife, Nadine Heredia, to 15 years in prison after finding them guilty of corruption involving illicit campaign financing.
Judge Nayko Coronado delivered the ruling, ordering the immediate imprisonment of the couple.
Humala, who was present in court, was taken into custody shortly after the verdict.
Heredia, who did not attend due to health reasons, followed the proceedings virtually, according to her legal team.
The court found that Humala and Heredia accepted illegal contributions from the Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht and the Venezuelan government during his 2006 and 2011 presidential campaigns.
The conviction makes Humala the third former Peruvian president to be jailed in connection with the Odebrecht bribery scandal, following Alejandro Toledo and Alberto Fujimori.
The court also sentenced Heredia’s brother, Ilan Heredia, to 12 years in prison for money laundering related to the case.
Following the ruling, Peru’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that Nadine Heredia sought asylum at the Brazilian Embassy in Lima. Brazil has granted her and her son protection.
The trial, which began in 2022, involved Humala, Heredia, and eight other individuals who were also convicted.
Notably, both Humala and Heredia had previously spent time in pre-trial detention in 2017 and 2018 over concerns they might flee the country.
Throughout the trial, the couple denied all charges.
Humala, a former army officer, served as Peru’s president from 2011 to 2016. He first rose to prominence in 2000 after leading a failed military uprising against then-President Alberto Fujimori.
His initial 2006 presidential bid was backed by Venezuela’s former president Hugo Chávez, but controversy over foreign funding later forced him to suspend his campaign.
In 2011, Humala returned to the political arena with a more moderate platform and won the presidency.
However, his post-presidency years were marked by growing legal troubles intensified by the 2016 confession by Odebrecht that it had paid millions in bribes to politicians and officials across Latin America.
Humala and Heredia will remain in prison until July 28, 2039, unless their sentences are overturned on appeal.
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