Get to know the details of this case related to the Brazilian Odebrecht company.
When was the contract signed?
The contract with Odebrecht to build the Interoceanic Highway, which links Peru with Bolivia and Brazil, was signed in 2005, during Alejandro Toledo's Presidency (2001-2006).
This was signed despite the observations raised by the Comptroller General of the Republic, as the project did not rely on the environmental assessment study and did not go through the National Public Investment System (SNIP).
Which companies acquired the tenders?
For Stretches 2 and 3, the tender was won by the Conirsa Consortium -made up of the companies Norberto Odebrecht, Graña y Montero, and JJ Camet e Ingenieros Civiles y Contratistas.
For Stretch 4 -on which the court ruling will be pronounced today- the Intersur Consortium was favored. It was made up of Brazilian companies Andrade Gutierrez, Camargo Correa, and Queiroz Galvão.
What is Toledo accused of?
According to his own confession to the Prosecutor's Office, Odebrecht's former Director in Peru, Jorge Barata, indicated that the Brazilian company had paid at least US$20 million in bribes to the former president for the awarding of the Southern Interoceanic Highway's Stretches 2 and 3.
Toledo is said to have received another alleged payment of US$6 million in exchange for the Intersur consortium winning the tender for Stretch 4 of the same project.
How was the bribe paid?
According to prosecutorial investigations, the payments were allegedly made through the accounts of Peruvian-Israeli businessman Josef Maiman Rapaport, a friend of the former Head of State.
What are the accusations against him?
Alejandro Toledo is accused of allegedly committing the crimes of influence peddling, money laundering, and collusion. He is involved in the investigation into the awarding of the Interoceanic Highway's Stretches 2, 3, and 4.
How many years of imprisonment is the Prosecutor's Office requesting?
The Prosecutor's Office is requesting 20 years and six months in prison for Toledo due to the crimes of money laundering and collusion, allegedly committed by receiving payments amounting to US$35 million from Brazilian construction companies to obtain the concession for the Southern Interoceanic Highway.
Who else is involved?
In addition to Alejandro Toledo, Sergio Bravo, Fernando Camet, Jose Castillo, John Barclay, Jose Graña, Sabih Saylan, Avraham Dan On, Hernando Graña, Gideon Weinstein, Alberto Pasco-Font, and Gonzalo Ferraro are also included in the investigations.
What did Alejandro Toledo say at the end of the trial?
On October 16, during the conclusion of the trial against him for the Interoceanic case, Toledo said he was innocent of the crimes he was accused and asked to be allowed to defend himself from home.
"I ask you to please do justice (…) I want to tell you that I am innocent; I never made any arrangement with (Odebrecht's former representative in Peru, Jorge) Barata or with Mr. Josef Maiman (…) Whatever decision you (judges) will make, I have a complicated health condition," Toledo expressed.
"I have cancer, heart problems, and will turn 80 in a few months. If this is going to continue, the only thing I ask, is please let me defend myself from home (...) Please, let me recover or die at home," he concluded.
Is the Interoceanic Highway sentence the first one linked to the Lava Jato case?
No, former Governor Cesar Alvarez was sentenced for the Chacas-San Luis case. However, Toledo will be the first former president of the Republic to receive a sentence for the Lava Jato corruption scheme, which began in Brazil.
Also under investigation in this case are former Presidents Ollanta Humala (2011-2016) and Pedro Pablo Kuczynski (2016-2018), as well as Fuerza Popular party leader, ex-presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori, and former Lima Mayor, Susana Villaran.