They denied the house arrest of former Peruvian president Alejandro Toledo, who is already being held in a prison in Lima after speedy extradition

The former Peruvian president Alexander Toledowas being investigated for corruption and money laundering in the mega scandal of bribes paid by Brazilian construction company Odebrecht, was detained in a Lima prison on Sunday night after being extradited from the United States.

Toledo, aged 77 and diagnosed with cancer according to his lawyers, will spend 18 months in pre-trial detention awaiting trial, the judiciary announced after ruling out the house arrest requested by the defendant.

Toledo, who arrived on a flight from Los Angeles in the custody of Interpol agents, will be held at Barbadillo Prison, which also houses former presidents Pedro Castillo (2021-2022) and Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000).

“The former president is leaving the National Supreme Court facilities after being placed at the disposal of the Penitentiary Institute, which will transfer him to Barbadillo Prison, where he will be held in preventive detention for 18 months,” the judiciary said on Twitter.

The transfer to the prison took place by helicopter from Los Cibeles police station, a 15-minute night flight.

Upon arrival in Lima, authorities performed a medical examination on him and he appeared before a judge at a hearing to verify his identity, where he confined himself to giving his name and ensuring “that he passed the health examination”. He looked exhausted, according to the images broadcast by the television channel of Rechtspraak.

Peru’s former strongman, who ruled from 2001 to 2006, turned himself in to federal court in San Jose, California, on Friday morning at the request of a judge. Toledo is accused of receiving millions of dollars from Odebrecht in exchange for public works tenders. Prosecutors are seeking 20 years and six months in prison.

Toledo, who has always claimed his innocence, got off the plane on his own after being taken away in a wheelchair by the bailiffs who shipped him to Lima. He was wearing jeans, a green jacket and a red vest.

The former president was arrested in 2019 in the United States, where he was staying after working at Stanford University. He was initially imprisoned, but was placed under house arrest in 2020 with an electronic ankle bracelet.

sick with cancer

Toledo’s lawyer, Roberto Su, told reporters in Lima this Sunday that his client has cancer. “He has many ailments and a cancer problem,” he said without giving further details.

At the edge of the air terminal, about 20 supporters of the former president gathered with white banners and the inscription ‘accused without evidence’.

Pedro Toledo, one of the former president’s nine brothers, went to the airport on behalf of the family, where he insisted on the alleged poor state of health and demanded “due process”.

The ex-governor was locked up in a prison exclusively for ex-presidents. The prison is attached to two barren hills and has a large football field. Dozens of police officers surround him and an ambulance is always parked.

“We are happy, he was going to enjoy himself with the people’s money, now he has to get what he deserves. He stole everything, put him in jail, he has to pay, that’s fair,” Betsy Paucca, a 30-year-old merchant who owns a shop opposite the presidential prison, told AFP.

The Odebrecht mega scandal in Peru

Brazilian construction company Odebrecht acknowledged the payment of bribes in Brazil and other countries in the region in connection with the Lava Jato scandal, which has imprisoned dozens of Latin American politicians and businessmen.

Lava Jato is the main case that uncovered the Brazilian giant’s corruption in his country and region.

In Toledo’s case, the testimonies of his former associate Josef Maiman and of Jorge Barata, a former representative of Odebrecht in Peru, were crucial. Both claim that the former president received the bribe.

Four other former Peruvian presidents face corruption charges: Ollanta Humala (2011-2016), Pedro Pablo Kuczynski (2016-2018), Martín Vizcarra (2018-2020) and Pedro Castillo (2021-2022).