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Peru’s Ex-President Vizcarra Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison
(MENAFN) Former Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra was handed a 14-year prison term on Wednesday after a court found him guilty of orchestrating a corruption scheme during his tenure as governor of the southern Moquegua region, according to local media reports.
In addition to the prison sentence, Vizcarra faces a nine-year ban on holding public office and a financial penalty.
Vizcarra, who is expected to begin serving his sentence immediately, announced plans to appeal.
“This is not justice, it is revenge,” he wrote on US social media company X, adding that “they will not break me.”
Prosecutors allege that the former president accepted more than $600,000 in bribes in exchange for awarding contracts linked to major public works projects in Moquegua. He governed the region from 2011 to 2014 before ascending to the presidency of Peru from 2018 to 2020.
Now a leading figure in the Peru First party, Vizcarra is among several former Peruvian leaders facing imprisonment. He joins three other ex-presidents currently behind bars, highlighting what analysts describe as entrenched instability and corruption within Peru’s political system.
Since 2018, Peru has seen six presidents, with multiple leaders removed via impeachment or forced resignations amid corruption scandals. Vizcarra assumed the presidency after Pedro Pablo Kuczynski resigned in 2018 amid allegations of attempting to buy congressional votes and scrutiny over ties to the Odebrecht bribery scandal.
Vizcarra’s own presidency lasted less than three years before he was impeached in 2020 on grounds of “moral incapacity,” linked to the same bribery case for which he has now been convicted.
He has consistently denied all charges, insisting that his impeachment and prosecution were politically motivated.
In a separate statement, he said he is being punished “for facing the mafioso pact” and expressed confidence that voters would respond in the next election.
He also mentioned that his brother, Mario Vizcarra, is expected to run for president in 2026 and “will continue the fight.”
“They’ve removed me from office. They’ve barred me from holding public office. They’ve expelled me from my party. And now they’re throwing me in jail,” he wrote, asking: “Are they so afraid of Vizcarra?”
In addition to the prison sentence, Vizcarra faces a nine-year ban on holding public office and a financial penalty.
Vizcarra, who is expected to begin serving his sentence immediately, announced plans to appeal.
“This is not justice, it is revenge,” he wrote on US social media company X, adding that “they will not break me.”
Prosecutors allege that the former president accepted more than $600,000 in bribes in exchange for awarding contracts linked to major public works projects in Moquegua. He governed the region from 2011 to 2014 before ascending to the presidency of Peru from 2018 to 2020.
Now a leading figure in the Peru First party, Vizcarra is among several former Peruvian leaders facing imprisonment. He joins three other ex-presidents currently behind bars, highlighting what analysts describe as entrenched instability and corruption within Peru’s political system.
Since 2018, Peru has seen six presidents, with multiple leaders removed via impeachment or forced resignations amid corruption scandals. Vizcarra assumed the presidency after Pedro Pablo Kuczynski resigned in 2018 amid allegations of attempting to buy congressional votes and scrutiny over ties to the Odebrecht bribery scandal.
Vizcarra’s own presidency lasted less than three years before he was impeached in 2020 on grounds of “moral incapacity,” linked to the same bribery case for which he has now been convicted.
He has consistently denied all charges, insisting that his impeachment and prosecution were politically motivated.
In a separate statement, he said he is being punished “for facing the mafioso pact” and expressed confidence that voters would respond in the next election.
He also mentioned that his brother, Mario Vizcarra, is expected to run for president in 2026 and “will continue the fight.”
“They’ve removed me from office. They’ve barred me from holding public office. They’ve expelled me from my party. And now they’re throwing me in jail,” he wrote, asking: “Are they so afraid of Vizcarra?”
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