Ex-Peruvian President Faces 35 Years in Prison on Money Laundering Charges

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Президент Перу Педро Пабло Кучински шутит на военном параде в Лиме, 2016 год InternationalIndiaAfricaMEXICO (Sputnik) – The Peruvian Prosecutor’s Office requested a 35-year prison sentence for former Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski on money laundering charges.Peruvian Prosecutor Jose Domingo Perez filed charges against Kuczynski for money laundering in an organized crime group, Peruvian media reported. “He is totally calm,” the former president’s lawyer Julio Mindolo told reporters. “He is confident the situation will be resolved and that no one can link him to any acts of corruption.”

Kuczynski is alleged to have received over $12 million from Brazilian construction company Odebrecht in exchange for government contracts during his term as the minister of economy in former Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo's cabinet from 2001-2005.

An investigation into Kuczynski has reportedly been ongoing for the last five years.AmericasPeru’s Congress Votes Against Motion to Impeach President Boluarte5 April, 03:07 GMTLocal media indicated that three more people are subject to the investigation, facing prison terms of 35, 26 and 11 years. During the hearing, the judge reportedly dismissed the prosecutor’s petition to extend exiting ban on Kuczynski, ruling that such a move would be a violation of the former president’s right to freedom. Kuczynski spent 36 months under house arrest from 2019-2022, after which he was released and attended court as a free man.