Peru sentences former President Vizcarra to 14 years in prison for corruption

LIMA, Peru (AP) — A Peruvian court on Wednesday sentenced former President Martín Vizcarra to 14 years in prison after finding him guilty of taking bribes while serving as governor of a southern state.

Vizcarra was sentenced to immediate imprisonment and a nine-year ban from public office. He is expected to appeal the decision.

“This is not justice, it is revenge,” Vizcarra said on social media. “But they will not break me.”

Vizcarra alleged his sentence was retribution for “standing up” to the right-wing political groups that control Congress, among which the influence of the late former President Alberto Fujimori is particularly prominent. Vizcarra clashed with these groups when he led the South American country between 2018 and 2020 and eventually dissolved Congress.

The criminal court in the capital, Lima, concluded that Vizcarra received illegal payments from companies in exchange for awarding them contracts for two major projects — an irrigation system and the construction of a hospital — during his time as governor of Moquegua.

Authorities accused Vizcarra of receiving approximately $611,000 in bribes from construction companies.

Prosecutors had requested a 15-year prison sentence.

The former president’s brother, Mario Vizcarra, is seeking Peru’s presidency.

Former Peruvian Presidents Alejandro Toledo, Ollanta Humala and Pedro Castillo are also in prison. Fujimori was imprisoned for more than 15 years. He was released in 2023 and died the following year at the age of 86.

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