Court Orders Arrest Of Peru’s Ex-President Over Corruption
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A Peruvian court ordered the arrest on Wednesday of ex-president Pedro Pablo Kuczynski at the request of prosecutors investigating the giant Odebrecht corruption scandal.
Judicial authorities said the 80-year-old former president — who resigned last year amid the scandal — would be held for a preliminary period of 10 days “for the alleged crime of money laundering in the Odebrecht case.”
The Superior Court on organized crime also authorized prosecutors to conduct a 48-hour search of Kuczynski’s home for documents related to the case.
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Kuczynski became the first sitting president to resign over the sweeping graft scandal involving Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht when he stepped down in March 2018.
The region-wide scandal has also embroiled Kuczynski’s predecessors Ollanta Humala, Alan Garcia and Alejandro Toledo.
Odebrecht has admitted paying at least $29 million in bribes to Peruvian officials since 2004.
Kuczynski is a former economist who prior to his election in 2016 served as prime minister under Toledo in 2005-06.
AFP