Peruvian court sentences former President Humala and wife to 15 years for money laundering

LIMA, Peru (AP) — A Peruvian court on Tuesday sentenced former President Ollanta Humala and his wife, Nadine Heredia, to 15 years in prison for laundering funds received from Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht to finance his 2006 and 2011 campaigns.

The judges of the National Superior Court found that Humala and Heredia received almost $3 million in illegal contributions for these campaigns from Odebrecht and the government of then-Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez (1999-2013).

Humala's wife requested asylum at the Brazilian embassy in Lima, ​​Peru's Foreign Ministry said Tuesday afternoon.

In a statement, the foreign ministry added that Heredia entered the Brazilian embassy in the morning and requested asylum under the 1954 Convention on Diplomatic Asylum, to which both Peru and Brazil are signatories.

Heredia’s brother, Ilán Heredia, was also sentenced to 12 years in prison for money laundering in the same case.

Humala came to power in 2011 after defeating right-wing politician Keiko Fujimori in the second round.

Nayko Coronado, one of the court’s three judges, ordered the convicted individuals to be jailed immediately. The former president, the only one present for the verdict, was surrounded by police and escorted from the courtroom.

Dressed in a business suit, tie, and glasses, the 62-year-old retired military officer Humala was observed writing and speaking on his cell phone during the session. His wife was not in attendance, with the defense stating she followed the proceedings online due to ill health. The court’s decision means both will remain incarcerated until July 28, 2039.

The verdict makes Humala the third former Peruvian president imprisoned for corruption in the last two decades. He joins Alejandro Toledo, sentenced in 2024 to 20 years for Odebrecht-related crimes, and Alberto Fujimori, who received multiple convictions for corruption and human rights abuses.

The trial began in 2022, and alongside Humala and his 48-year-old wife, the court convicted eight others. Both Humala and Heredia were held in pretrial detention from 2017 to 2018 at the prosecutor’s request to prevent their flight.

Odebrecht’s 2016 admission of widespread bribery across Latin America preceded the initial investigations against Humala, which started in 2015, a year before the company’s revelations.

Most of the presidents who governed Peru since 2001 have faced legal problems due to their connections with Odebrecht. Toledo is currently imprisoned, while former President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski is under house arrest. Alan García, who served two non-consecutive terms (1985-1990 and 2006-2011), died by suicide in 2019 as authorities moved to arrest him in connection with Odebrecht bribes.

Beyond former presidents, prominent figures like former presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori and numerous ex-governors are also under investigation.

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

Former Peruvian President Ollanta Humala, right, arrives to court for his trial on money laundering charges connected to the financing his 2006 and 2011 campaigns, in Lima, Peru, Tuesday, April 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

A worker transports files outside the court where former Peruvian President Ollanta Humala attends his trial on money laundering charges connected to the financing his 2006 and 2011 campaigns, in Lima, Peru, Tuesday, April 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

Former Peruvian President Ollanta Humala talks on his cell phone before leaving the courtroom in Lima, Peru, Tuesday, April 15, 2025, after being sentenced along with his wife to 15 years in prison for laundering funds received from Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht to finance his 2006 and 2011 campaigns. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

Former Peruvian President Ollanta Humala talks on his cell phone before leaving the courtroom in Lima, Peru, Tuesday, April 15, 2025, after being sentenced along with his wife to 15 years in prison for laundering funds received from Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht to finance his 2006 and 2011 campaigns. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

Former Peruvian President Ollanta Humala leaves the courtroom in Lima, Peru, Tuesday, April 15, 2025, after being sentenced along with his wife to 15 years in prison for laundering funds received from Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht to finance his 2006 and 2011 campaigns. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

Former Peruvian President Ollanta Humala, right, followed by his lawyer Wilfredo Pedraza, leave the courtroom in Lima, Peru, Tuesday, April 15, 2025, after being sentenced along with his wife to 15 years in prison for laundering funds received from Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht to finance his 2006 and 2011 campaigns. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip killed at least 14 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and destroyed bulldozers and other heavy equipment that had been supplied by mediators to clear rubble. Separate strikes on Tuesday killed two people in Lebanon.

Israel's 18-month offensive against Hamas has destroyed vast areas of Gaza, raising fears that much of it may never be rebuilt. The territory already had a shortage of heavy equipment, which is also needed to rescue people from the rubble after Israeli strikes and to clear vital roads.

A municipality in the Jabaliya area of northern Gaza said a strike on its parking garage destroyed nine bulldozers provided by Egypt and Qatar, which helped broker the ceasefire that took hold in January. Israel ended the truce last month, renewing its bombardment and ground operations and sealing the territory's 2 million Palestinians off from all imports, including food, fuel and medical supplies.

The strikes also destroyed a water tanker and a mobile generator provided by aid groups, and a truck used to pump sewage, the Jabaliya al-Nazla municipality said.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the strikes. The military says it only targets militants and blames civilian deaths on Hamas because the group operates in densely populated areas.

An Israeli airstrike early Tuesday destroyed a multistory home in the southern city of Khan Younis, killing nine people, including four women and four children, according to Nasser Hospital, which received the bodies. The dead included a 2-year-old girl and her parents.

“They were asleep, sleeping in God’s peace. They had nothing to do with anything,” said Awad Dahliz, the slain girl's grandfather. “What is the fault of this innocent child?"

A separate strike in the built-up Jabaliya refugee camp killed three children and their parents, according to the Gaza Health Ministry's emergency service.

Israel's air and ground war has killed over 51,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were civilians or combatants. Israel says it has killed around 20,000 militants, without providing evidence.

The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 people hostage. They are still holding 59 hostages, 24 of whom are believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.

Hamas has said it will only free the remaining hostages in return for the release of Palestinian prisoners, a full Israeli withdrawal and a lasting ceasefire. Israel has said it will keep fighting until the hostages are returned and Hamas has been either destroyed or disarmed and sent into exile. It has pledged to hold onto so-called security zones in Gaza indefinitely.

An Israeli drone strike southeast of Beirut killed Hussein Atwi, a member of the Lebanese branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, a regionwide Sunni Islamist political movement. The group said he was leaving for work when the drone struck.

Lebanon's Health Ministry said another person was killed in an Israeli strike on the southern Tyre province, without providing further details.

Israel has continued to carry out regular strikes across Lebanon despite reaching a ceasefire with the Hezbollah militant group in November. Israel says it is targeting militants and weapons caches. The Lebanese government says 190 people have been killed and 485 wounded since the ceasefire took hold.

Hezbollah began firing on Israel the day after Hamas' Oct. 7 attack. Israel responded with airstrikes, and the conflict in Lebanon escalated into a full-blown war in September when Israel carried out a heavy wave of strikes and killed most of Hezbollah's top leadership.

Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writer Sally Abou AlJoud in Beirut contributed.

Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

Palestinians inspect the damage caused by an Israeli army airstrike in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians inspect the damage caused by an Israeli army airstrike in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians inspect the damage caused by an Israeli army airstrike in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians inspect the damage caused by an Israeli army airstrike in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians examine the remains of bulldozers hit by an Israeli army airstrike in Jabaliya, northern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Palestinians examine the remains of bulldozers hit by an Israeli army airstrike in Jabaliya, northern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Smoke rises from the remains of bulldozers hit by an Israeli army airstrike in Jabaliya, northern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

A Palestinian man extinguishes the fire from bulldozers after they were hit by an Israeli army airstrike in Jabaliya, northern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Palestinians examine the remains of bulldozers hit by an Israeli army airstrike in Jabaliya, northern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Palestinians examine the remains of bulldozers hit by an Israeli army airstrike in Jabaliya, northern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)