Former Peruvian President Ollanta Humala has been released from prison after the country’s Constitutional Court overturned his 15-year prison sentence for money laundering linked to the Odebrecht corruption scandal.
Humala, 64, walked out of a prison in Lima on Friday evening under police escort, with supporters gathering outside the facility to welcome his release.
The former army officer, who served as Peru’s president from 2011 to 2016, became the first former Peruvian leader to stand trial in connection with the Odebrecht bribery scandal, one of the biggest corruption cases in Latin America. Three other former presidents have also been implicated in the investigation.
Humala and his wife, Nadine Heredia, were convicted over allegations that they received illicit campaign funds from Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht and the Venezuelan government during two presidential elections.
Reacting after his release, Humala insisted he had been unfairly treated.
“We have been victims of political and judicial persecution,” he told reporters.
Heredia, who sought asylum in Brazil after her conviction, remains in the South American country.
The Constitutional Court nullified Humala’s conviction in a ruling issued on Thursday, paving the way for his release.
The Odebrecht scandal has implicated political leaders across Latin America. In 2016, the Brazilian construction company agreed to pay $3.5 billion in penalties after admitting it paid about $788 million in bribes to government officials and political figures across several countries to secure lucrative infrastructure contracts.
In Peru alone, Odebrecht acknowledged paying at least $29 million in bribes to public officials between 2005 and 2014, making it one of the countries most affected by the corruption scheme.
