Ollanta Humala graft conviction quashed in Peru
Peru's constitutional court has quashed former president Ollanta Humala's 15-year prison sentence in a corruption case linked to Brazilian construction group Odebrecht and ordered his release.
A Constitutional Court ruling dated July 15 and published Thursday said the entire criminal proceedings against Ollanta Moises Humala Tasso had been declared null and void.
Humala, 64, led Peru from 2011 to 2016. He and his wife, Nadine Heredia, were found guilty last year of money laundering over illegal contributions from Odebrecht and the Venezuelan government in two presidential campaigns.
Humala filed a habeas corpus petition in January. The Constitutional Court found it well-founded, saying his rights had been infringed.
His lawyer, Wilfredo Pedraza, told RPP radio that the ruling must be presented to the judicial panel handling Humala's appeal. Pedraza said the panel had to comply with the order and order Humala's release.
Humala is being held in a special prison for former presidents in eastern Lima. Heredia was also sentenced to 15 years in prison, but sought asylum in the Brazilian embassy after the verdict.
Odebrecht agreed in 2016 to pay $3.5 billion in penalties after spending $788 million in bribes to foreign leaders and government officials to win infrastructure projects in Latin America. The company admitted paying at least $29 million in bribes to Peruvian officials between 2005 and 2014.
Update
Humala filed a habeas corpus petition in January, which the Constitutional Court found well-founded because his rights were infringed.
Humala's lawyer Wilfredo Pedraza said the ruling must be presented to the appeal panel handling the case for his release to be ordered.
Humala is being held in a special prison for former presidents in eastern Lima.
Nadine Heredia, Humala's wife, was also sentenced to 15 years but sought asylum in the Brazilian embassy after the verdict.
Source note: AFP news report published on 31 July 2026 at 05:31:43 UTC.
Update
Peru's constitutional court quashed a 15-year prison sentence against Ollanta Humala.
The court ordered Humala's release.
The ruling declared the entire criminal proceedings against Humala null and void.
The case involved a corruption scandal linked to Brazilian construction group Odebrecht and the Venezuelan government.
The ruling was dated July 15 and was published Thursday.
Source note: AFP news report published on 31 July 2026 at 04:41:48 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The timing of Humala's actual release depends on the ruling being presented to and acted on by the judicial panel handling his appeal.
Source
AFP news report published on .