Peru’s former president extradited from the U.S. on corruption charges

Alejandro Toledo, a 77-year-old former president of Peru, landed in Lima on Sunday, two days after surrendering to authorities in the U.S. following an extradition order against him. 

Mr. Toledo will face corruption charges in his home country, including allegations that he took USD 20 million from Brazil’s infamous construction firm Odebrecht as part of a bribery scheme. The alleged wrongdoing took place while he was president, between 2001 and 2006, in exchange for public works contracts.  

Peruvian prosecutors reiterated this week that they are seeking a sentence of 20 years and six months against Mr. Toledo, who has consistently denied soliciting or receiving any type of irregular payment. 

A trained economist and academic, the centrist leader originally rose to prominence in Peru and abroad for leading a pro-democracy movement in the 1990s against the regime of Alberto Fujimori, who is now behind bars for crimes against humanity. 

Over the years, however, Mr. Toledo entered the radar of Peruvian justice as part of the fallout from Brazil’s Operation Car Wash. He later fled to the U.S., where he has been facing an extradition request since May 2018, and was arrested in California in 2019. 

No place for leaders 

Mr. Toledo’s legal saga is just one in a series of Odebrecht-related corruption scandals involving Peruvian leaders in the 21st century.

In addition to Mr. Toledo, former President Alan García (2006-2011) took his own life in 2019 shortly before being arrested on corruption charges; Ollanta Humala (2011-2016) is also under investigation for similar reasons, and Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, who resigned in 2018, has been under house arrest since 2019 while awaiting trial. 

Though not directly linked to Odebrecht, Peru has since seen even more heads of state fall from power, having three different presidents in a single week in 2020 and Pedro Castillo ousted from his position in 2022 after attempting a self-coup. Current leader Dina Boluarte is also under pressure, facing nationwide protests and with very little support for her caretaker presidency.

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