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Alejandro Toledo was in a home prison regime in California, where he had resided in recent years. Lima claims him for his alleged relationship in the corruption cases involving the construction company Odebrecht. The former president had already been investigated for money laundering and collusion.
The Odebrecht plot continues to push the names of Latin American politicians into the abyss. Former President Alejandro Toledo Manrique will be extradited from the United States, the country where he has been residing in recent years, to Peru.
According to sources familiar with the process, the former president would be transferred in the next few hours to be prosecuted for alleged collusion and money laundering related to the Odebrecht case. The US Department of Justice had already given the go-ahead for the extradition last September, but only the confirmation signature of the Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, was expected.
The Prosecutor’s Office of the South American nation spoke in a tweet in which it made known the steps following the return announcement.
The Office of the Prosecutor of the Nation, as the central authority in matters of extraditions, informs that it has been learned that the Department of State of the United States of America granted the extradition of Alejandro Toledo Manríque, for the crimes of collusion and money laundering pic.twitter.com/aD0QGEEicT
– Public Ministry (@FiscaliaPeru) February 22, 2023
Local media such as ‘TVPerú Noticias’ point that Toledo Manrique is “investigated by the Peruvian Justice for the alleged collection of a bribe of 35 million dollars from the Odebrecht company to favor them in the bidding for the Interoceanic highway.”
It was also reported that the former head of state had filed a series of appeals to avoid his extradition, which were rejected by the California Court.
Toledo has been under a prison regime since 2019 after being requested by the Peruvian authorities. However, the 76-year-old politician has not been formally charged in the northern courts. The coronavirus pandemic caused his defense team to process a home confinement. Upon arriving on Peruvian soil, he will be placed in the same prison where Alberto Fujimori and Pedro Castillo are.
The defendant is not the only Peruvian ruler soaked in the corruption scandal of the Brazilian company. On the list are Alan García, who took his own life before being arrested; Ollanta Humala, who is in the middle of an ongoing judicial process; Pedro Pablo Kuczynski and Keiko Fujimori, daughter of Alberto Fujimori and former presidential candidate on several occasions, have also been singled out.
The shadow of the Odebrecht case
The Brazilian company Odebrecht, which is now listed under the name of Novonor, was involved in the payment of millions of sums to political personalities from various nations of the American continent with the aim of obtaining benefits from participation in public contracts.
The investigation was carried out by the US Department of Justice. Politicians from nations such as Argentina, Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, among others, were recipients of the company’s funds to promote their local position and help position the company.
The main revelations were given to the authorities by Marcelo Odebrecht, the visible head of the largest construction conglomerate in Latin America, in exchange for a substantial reduction in his sentence. The literal confessions of this and more than 70 senior company officials are protected under secrecy.
Although some repercussions of the accusations have already diminished or simply ceased the investigation processes.
With EFE, Reuters and local media
