Peru's constitutional court has overturned a 15-year jail sentence previously handed to former president Ollanta Humala after he was found guilty of corruption-related offenses. Humala, who served as president from 2011 to 2016, was convicted in 2025 of accepting illegal funds from the Venezuelan president and the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht to finance his election campaigns in 2006 and 2011.

Humala had announced his intention to appeal the verdict. The constitutional court has now declared the entire criminal proceedings against him null and void. Following the ruling, Humala is expected to be released from Barbadillo Prison in Lima, according to local media reports.

Humala's lawyer, Julio Espinoza Goyena, stated on social media that the court decided the contributions received during electoral campaigns "do not constitute money laundering." He added, "The Criminal Chamber currently handling the case must order the definitive dismissal of the proceedings and the FREEDOM of former President Ollanta Humala."

At the time of Humala's conviction, his wife Nadine Heredia was also found guilty of money laundering and sentenced to 15 years in prison. The Odebrecht scandal has implicated several Latin American politicians, including Peru's former president Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, who faced impeachment proceedings after revelations of payments from Odebrecht during his previous government role.

Humala's legal troubles began shortly after his presidential term ended in 2016, following Odebrecht's admission to bribing Latin American officials and political parties with hundreds of millions of dollars to secure business contracts. After an unsuccessful presidential bid in 2006, Humala ran again in 2011 on a more moderate platform inspired by Brazil's then-president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, defeating right-wing rival Keiko Fujimori, daughter of former president Alberto Fujimori.

Notable Quote

"The Criminal Chamber currently handling the case must order the definitive dismissal of the proceedings and the FREEDOM of former President Ollanta Humala," said Humala's lawyer Julio Espinoza Goyena.

Sources