HomeNewsBriefYet Another Former Peru President to Face Criminal Charges?
BRIEF

Yet Another Former Peru President to Face Criminal Charges?

MONEY LAUNDERING / 5 SEP 2014 BY JEREMY MCDERMOTT AND ELYSSA PACHICO EN

One former president is now facing charges of money laundering, another of selling pardons to drug traffickers and a third is in prison, while a serving congressman has been linked to a Mexican drug smuggler, suggesting endemic corruption in Peru's political class. 

In an unanimous vote, Congress approved a report by a congressional audit commission that proposes charging former President Alejandro Toledo (who was in office from 2001 to 2006) with money laundering and criminal conspiracy. Toledo is accused of using funds from a Costa Rican shell company in order to finance his mother-in-law's $5 million purchase of a home and office. Toledo, who has been under investigation since last year, has criticized the accusations, calling them a "political attack" as he plans to run for the presidency again in 2016.

Former president Alan Garcia (1985-90 and 2006-11) is facing possible indictment in the "narco-pardons" scandal, where he is accused of having been involved in selling pardons to convicts, including drug traffickers.

Former President Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000) is in prison, serving sentences for human rights abuses and embezzlement.

Alongside these scandals involving former presidents, a sitting congressman has found himself mired in controversy. Investigative news magazine Caretas recently revealed that a spokesperson for Toledo's political party, Jose Leon Rivera, rented a beach house to a man police say is a Mexican drug trafficker responsible for the largest seizure of cocaine ever confiscated in Peru

While the congressman initially denied knowing the alleged trafficker, Rodrigo Torres, a police surveillance video released by Caretas purportedly shows the two meeting outside the house. After the video's release, Leon admitted that he did meet with his tenant on several occasions, but did not know of his involvement in drug trafficking.

InSight Crime Analysis

The ongoing probe into Toledo's financial affairs may soon accompany a deeper investigation into Leon's dealings with the Mexicans. Added to this is the fact that over 90 percent of the country's mayors are under investigation for corruption and you have what appears to be systematic corruption in Peru's political world, reaching the highest levels.

Another current challenge for this Andean nation is cleaning up the pool of candidates who plan to run during the upcoming gubernatorial and mayoral elections scheduled for October 5. The Interior Minister has previously said they've identified 115 candidates who are linked to drug trafficking cases, as well as 345 candidates who've already been convicted of a crime.

share icon icon icon

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

What are your thoughts? Click here to send InSight Crime your comments.

We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

Related Content

PERU / 6 DEC 2022

Peru is taking steps to tackle the threat of Venezuelan mega-gang Tren de Aragua, and have recently captured 30 members…

BOLIVIA / 2 SEP 2022

Peru coca prices are low. And that's leading to potential cocaine production in Bolivia.

CHINA AND CRIME / 10 NOV 2021

A Peruvian governor is accused of receiving bribes to provide concessions to Chinese firms that trafficked illegal wood – an…

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Contributes Expertise Across the Board 

22 SEP 2023

This week InSight Crime investigators Sara García and María Fernanda Ramírez led a discussion of the challenges posed by Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s “Total Peace” plan within urban contexts. The…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Cited in New Colombia Drug Policy Plan

15 SEP 2023

InSight Crime’s work on emerging coca cultivation in Honduras, Guatemala, and Venezuela was cited in the Colombian government’s…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Discusses Honduran Women's Prison Investigation

8 SEP 2023

Investigators Victoria Dittmar and María Fernanda Ramírez discussed InSight Crime’s recent investigation of a massacre in Honduras’ only women’s prison in a Twitter Spaces event on…

THE ORGANIZATION

Human Trafficking Investigation Published in Leading Mexican Newspaper

1 SEP 2023

Leading Mexican media outlet El Universal featured our most recent investigation, “The Geography of Human Trafficking on the US-Mexico Border,” on the front page of its August 30…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime's Coverage of Ecuador Leads International Debate

25 AUG 2023

This week, Jeremy McDermott, co-director of InSight Crime, was interviewed by La Sexta, a Spanish television channel, about the situation of extreme violence and insecurity in Ecuador…