MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Former Peruvian President Vizcarra sentenced to 14 years for bribery

“My brother Mario Vizcarra will continue this fight for you,” the former leader told his constituency on social media

Former Peruvian President Martín Vizcarra was sentenced on Wednesday to 14 years in prison and immediately taken into custody following a court ruling that found him guilty of bribery during his tenure as regional governor of Moquegua.

The criminal court determined that Vizcarra received bribes from the companies Obrainsa and Lomas de Ilo in exchange for awarding them public works contracts for a hospital and a water project. The magistrates found “with a degree of certainty the criminal responsibility” of the former head of State.

The sentence, which was the result of combining separate six- and eight-year terms for each corruption case, mandated immediate execution. Peruvian National Police officers arrested Vizcarra at the courthouse and took him to the Barbadillo prison, where other former heads of state are already incarcerated.

The sentence also entailed a nine-year ban on holding any public office and payment of civil damages exceeding US$695,000 to be afforded jointly with the involved companies.

With Vizcarra scheduled to remain in detention until November 2039, the small prison, already housing Alejandro Toledo, Ollanta Humala, and Pedro Castillo, is now at 200% occupancy.

The conviction had been widely anticipated by legal analysts, given the strong evidence gathered. “I have been sentenced for confronting the mafia pact. This is not justice; it is revenge. But they will not break me. The answer lies in the ballot box. My brother Mario Vizcarra will continue this fight for you,” he posted on social media.