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<\/figure>\n\n\nJudge In\u00e9s Rojas said Toledo\u2019s victims were Peruvians who \u201ctrusted\u201d him as their president. Rojas explained that in that role, Toledo was \u201cin charge of managing public finances\u201d and responsible for \u201cprotecting and ensuring the correct\u201d use of resources. Instead, she said, he \u201cdefrauded the state.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She added that Toledo \u201chad the duty to act with absolute neutrality, protect and preserve the assets of the state, avoiding their abuse or exploitation,\u201d but he did not do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Odebrecht, which built some of Latin America\u2019s most crucial infrastructure projects, admitted to U.S. authorities in 2016 to having bought government contracts throughout the region with generous bribes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice spun probes in several countries, including Mexico, Guatemala and Ecuador.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Peru, authorities accused Toledo and three other former presidents of receiving payments from the construction giant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
They alleged Toledo received $35 million from Odebrecht in exchange for the contract to build 650 kilometers (403 miles) of a highway linking Brazil with southern Peru. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
That portion of the highway was initially estimated to cost $507 million, but Peru ended up paying $1.25 billion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rojas at one point read parts of the testimony from Jorge Barata, a former Odebrecht executive in Peru, who told prosecutors that the former president called him up to three times after leaving office to demand that he be paid. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Toledo lowered his gaze and looked at his hands as Rojas read the expletive-laden remarks that Barata recounted to prosecutors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Toledo has denied the accusations against him. His attorney, Roberto Siu, told reporters after the hearing that they will appeal the sentence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Peru\u2019s former President Alejandro Toledo on Monday was sentenced to 20 years and six months in prison in a case involving Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht, which became synonymous with corruption across Latin America, where it paid millions of dollars in bribes to government officials and others. Authorities accused Toledo of accepting $35 million in bribes…<\/p>\n