Ollanta Humala Released After 15‑Year Conviction Overturned

Sun Sep 06 2026 04:06:58 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Peruvian ex‑president Ollanta Humala is freed from prison after a court voids a 15‑year corruption sentence.

The constitutional court declared the criminal case against former President Ollanta Humala null and void, releasing him after a 15‑year prison sentence. Humala was convicted for accepting illicit funds from Venezuela and the Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht. His wife Nadine Heredia was also convicted of money‑laundering but fled to Brazil. The decision arrives amid a broader Odebrecht scandal that has implicated other Peruvian leaders. Analysts say the ruling may signal a major shift in Peru’s anti‑corruption legal landscape.

Ollanta Humala Released After 15‑Year Conviction Overturned

Peru’s former president Ollanta Humala was freed from Barbadillo Prison last Friday after a constitutional court declared the 15‑year jail term, imposed in 2025, null and void.

The sentence had been handed down following a guilty verdict in a corruption case that accused Humala of accepting illegal money from Venezuelan leader Hugo Chávez and the Brazilian construction conglomerate Odebrecht to fund his presidential campaigns in 2006 and 2011.

Humala’s lawyer, Julio Espinoza Goyena, stated that the court’s decision meant the contributions his client received did not constitute money‑laundering and demanded the complete dismissal of the criminal proceedings and his client’s freedom.

The former president’s wife, Nadine Heredia, was also found guilty of money‑laundering and sentenced to 15 years in prison, but she was granted safe passage to Brazil after seeking asylum in the Brazilian embassy.

Ollanta Humala is the fourth Peruvian president to be investigated for ties to the Odebrecht scandal. Alejandro Toledo was sentenced last year to over 20 years in prison for accepting $35m in bribes; former president Alan García died in 2019 amid arrest threats; and Pedro Pablo Kuczynski faced impeachment charges over alleged payments from Odebrecht.

The ruling is part of an ongoing investigation and signals a potential shift in Peru’s approach to corruption and political accountability.

By Adam Goldsmith