Lima, Apr 15 (EFE). – Former Peruvian President Ollanta Humala (2011-2016) was sentenced Tuesday to 15 years in prison for money laundering over illegal contributions from former Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez and the Brazilian company Odebrecht to finance his electoral campaigns in 2006 and 2011.
Humala’s wife, Nadine Heredia, who directed both campaigns, was also found guilty of the same crime and sentenced to 15 years. Heredia’s brother, Ilán, was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Humala, Heredia and her brother will be sent to a prison to be determined by the National Penitentiary Institute.
Agents of the Peruvian National Police entered the courtroom and arrested the former president.
The court will read the sentence on Apr. 29, but said “we have seen the elements that would constitute the existence of a criminal organization.
The court set the reparations for the case at 10 million soles (about 2.67 million dollars).
The judge said Humala’s 2006 campaign received “contributions for about one and a half million soles” and that “there is an attribution to the country of Venezuela, the Venezuelan embassy is pinpointed as where this money came from.”
“From our point of view of evidence, there is an illegal origin, non-existent and false contributions that have tried to be legitimized through different mechanisms,” he added, noting that “these are typical and characteristic facts of money laundering.”
He added that in the 2011 campaign, which allowed Humala to enter the presidency, “a similar situation” is seen, but with “money coming from Brazil, through the company Odebrecht”, for “almost 3 million dollars.”
“In our conclusion, aggravated money laundering has been committed and in the criminal responsibility of the accused,” he stressed.
Humala assured inFebruary in an interview with EFE that if Odebrecht came to send money to Lima to finance his campaign, it was stolen by the then head of the company in Peru, Jorge Barata.
“If Marcelo (Odebrecht) had arranged for Barata (to send money to his campaign), (…) I don’t think this happened, but, if it happened, Barata stole the money,” he said.
Heredia was prosecuted for her participation in the activities of the Peruvian Nationalist Part, including alleged fundraising, and later for involvement beyond her duties as first lady.
Humala’s wife declared during the trial that she had never received money from the Chávez government, “nor from President Lula in Brazil, nor any Brazilian company.”. EFE
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