MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Former Peruvian President Martín Vizcarra hospitalized

Vizcarra was treated at a hospital he had inaugurated as president

Former Peruvian President Martín Vizcarra was rushed from the Barbadillo prison to the Ate Vitarte - EsSalud hospital on Friday after suffering a severe hypertensive crisis and physical decompensation. The medical emergency occurred just days after Vizcarra began serving a 14-year sentence for corruption.

While his press office initially linked the incident to a heart condition, witnesses reported seeing the former president walking into the health center under heavy security, wearing a mask and a white gown. Following immediate stabilization by emergency staff, Vizcarra was discharged and returned to his cell.

The former president's brother, Mario Vizcarra, who is currently a presidential candidate for the Perú Primero party, lashed out at the judiciary following the incident. In a post on X, he claimed his brother’s health was being “compromised by judicial abuse” and noted the irony of his brother being treated at a hospital he himself had inaugurated during his presidency.

The health scare comes shortly after a criminal court found Vizcarra guilty of accepting around US$610,000 in bribes during his tenure as Governor of Moquegua. The judiciary determined with “certainty” that Vizcarra favored construction firms Obrainsa and ICCGSA in the awarding of the “Lomas de Ilo” water project and the Moquegua Hospital contract, resulting in a 14-year prison term, a nine-year disqualification from public office, and a fine exceeding US$695,000.

Vizcarra has characterized the ruling as “revenge” by political opponents and a “mafia pact,” vowing to appeal the sentence from his cell.

Vizcarra’s incarceration has pushed the Barbadillo prison —a specialized facility for former heads of state— to what analysts describe as 200% occupancy. He joins former presidents Alejandro Toledo, Ollanta Humala, and Pedro Castillo in the high-security facility.

The National Penitentiary Institute (INPE) has not issued a formal statement regarding the medical transfer but confirmed that Vizcarra remains under strict observation following his return to the prison.