In a stunning reversal, Peru's constitutional court has declared the criminal proceedings against former President Ollanta Humala null and void, resulting in his release from Barbadillo Prison. Humala, who served as president from 2011 to 2016, had been sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2025 following a conviction for money laundering.
Prosecutors had successfully argued that Humala and his wife, Nadine Heredia, accepted millions in illegal contributions—including $3 million from the Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht and $200,000 from the late Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chávez—to finance their political ambitions.
While Humala’s legal team successfully argued that these campaign contributions did not meet the legal threshold for money laundering, the ruling leaves a cloud of uncertainty over the broader investigation into the Odebrecht scandal that has plagued Peruvian politics for years.
Humala, who rose to prominence as a socialist firebrand inspired by Chávez, has consistently dismissed the mountain of evidence against him as mere political persecution. His wife, Nadine Heredia, remains a fugitive from the original conviction, having secured safe passage to the Brazilian embassy.
This development marks a significant turn in a long-standing corruption saga that has implicated multiple former Peruvian heads of state, including Alejandro Toledo, who is currently serving a 20-year sentence for taking bribes from the same Brazilian firm.
As Humala walks free, the integrity of Peru’s judicial efforts to hold its political elite accountable remains under intense scrutiny.
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