Peru: Mr. Alejandro Toledo, the former President of Peru, has returned to his home country from the United States to face charges of money laundering and corruption during his term. Peruvian prosecutors are investigating a scandal involving Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht and have accused Mr. Toledo of receiving millions of dollars in bribes from the company in return for public works contracts.

The former president denies the allegations, which include money laundering and collusion, and faces a possible 20-year prison sentence if found guilty.

Mr. Toledo arrived at Lima airport on April 23 after turning himself in on April 21 for extradition. The 77-year-old is the second former Peruvian president to be extradited, following his predecessor, Mr. Alberto Fujimori, who was extradited from Chile and is serving a 25-year prison sentence for human rights abuses.

Mr. Toledo, an economist with a doctorate from Stanford University, served as Peru’s president from 2001 to 2006. The es-president is accused of receiving $35 million in bribes from Odebrecht in exchange for the company winning the contract for the Interoceanica Sur highway. The official images shared by Peruvian authorities upon his arrival suggest that he is now in custody and awaiting trial.

Other former Peruvian presidents have also been implicated in the Odebrecht scandal. Mr. Pedro Pablo Kuczynski is being investigated and was under house arrest, while Mr. Alan Garcia died in 2019 after shooting himself in the head to avoid arrest. Additionally, former President Mr. Pedro Castillo is currently in pre-trial detention and facing charges of “rebellion” after attempting to dissolve Congress illegally in December 2022.

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