The Fourth National Criminal Collegiate Court on Thursday sentenced former Deputy Communications Minister Jorge Luis Cuba Hidalgo to 21 years and 8 months in prison for favoring the Brazilian company Odebrecht in the awarding of contracts for the construction of the first two stretches of the Lima Metro Line.
The court found him guilty of the crimes of collusion and money laundering.
For the first offense, he was sentenced to 5 years in prison, while for the second, he received a sentence of 16 years and 8 months.
The former Deputy Communications Minister during the second Aprista administration (2006–2011) was not present at the sentencing, as he had left Peru through the border with Ecuador last Sunday, Prosecutor Jose Domingo Pérez reported at the start of the hearing.
As is known, Prosecutor Perez is a member of the Lava Jato Case Special Prosecution Group.
Luyo and Huerta were each sentenced to 21 years and 8 months in prison, while Chau received a sentence of 18 years and 4 months.
Former MTC official Miguel Navarro was sentenced to 16 years and 8 months in prison for money laundering, while Victor Muñoz Cuba received a sentence of 13 years and 4 months for the same crime.
Meanwhile, the court acquitted former volleyball player Jessica Tejada, ruling that she had acted "under the principle of trust" in Jorge Cuba.
During the hearing, the court dismissed the aggravating circumstance of criminal organization in the money laundering charge.
Judge Fernanda Ayasta Nassif, who presided over the court, stated that the time spent in pre-trial detention will be deducted from the sentences imposed on those convicted.
According to the prosecution's indictment, Jorge Cuba and his co-defendants had favored Odebrecht in the awarding of contracts for Stretches 1 and 2 of Lima Metro Line 1 by approving its qualifications through the Special Committee.
In exchange, they received bribes amounting to approximately US$8.1 million.