The US State Department has approved the extradition of former Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo, Peru’s Attorney General said on Twitter. Toledo was arrested by US police at Peru’s request in July 2019 and placed under house arrest in the state of California. He is accused of corruption.
In September 2021, a federal court in California has already authorized Toledo’s extradition to his home country, which wants to prosecute him for his alleged involvement in a major bribery scandal involving Brazilian construction company Odebrecht. However, the final decision to return Toledo to Peru rested with the US government. So he would have agreed.
Brazilian construction conglomerate Odebrecht spent a total of $788 million over a decade buying lucrative government contracts in a dozen countries in the region. The scandal came to light in 2014. Ecuador’s former vice president Jorge Claus was sentenced to six years in prison in 2017 for bribery.
Toledo, who was Peru’s president from 2001 to 2006, reportedly received $20 million (€17.1 million) from Odebrecht. In return, he would have offered the company the construction of a highway that would now connect Peru to Brazil. The former president has denied the allegations.
Former Peruvian President Pedro Castillo, who was ousted by parliament in December, is also accused of corruption. Since Castillo’s ouster, the South American country has faced its worst unrest in decades. Dozens of people have been killed in recent months in protests against the government and for Castillo’s release.
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