Former Peru president don get prison sentence

Court for Peru don sentence former President Alejandro Toledo to 20 years and six months for prison afta dem find am guilty for corruption and money laundering.

Di prosecutors accuse Toledo, wey serve as president from 2001 to 2006, say e collect $35 million as bribe from di Brazilian construction company Odebrecht in exchange to take give dem contract wey dem go take build highway for soudirn Peru.

Toledo, 78 years old, don arrest for California five years ago, wia e dey live and work for many years.

Dem come extradite am go Peru for 2023 to face charges.

Odebrecht, wey don change name to Novonor, don admit say dem pay millions for bribes to officials for Latin America and U.S. to secure big government contracts.

During di sentencing, di Judge Inés Rojas highlight say Toledo don violate di trust wey di Peruvian pipo put for am, wey expect am to manage di nation’s finances well.

Di former president deny di charges throughout di trial and dem see am dey smirk and laugh during di court proceedings.

Toledo no be di only former Peruvian leader wey dey involve for di Odebrecht scandal.

For 2019, former president Alan García take him own life wen police come to arrest am over similar bribery charges.

Two oda former presidents, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski and Ollanta Humala, dey under investigation for di case too.

Operation Car Wash start for inside March 2014, for one petrol and car wash complex for Brasilia, wey be Brazil capital, and dem think say na normal mata.

Federal Police team dey watch di place, dem believe say na di center of money-laundering operation wey Alberto sef dey run, wey be former convict wey dem dey call “doleiro de doleiros” na money launderer of money launderers.

Wen dem discover for one of di email wey dem intercept say e dey pay for Land Rover for one executive of Petrobras, Brazil national oil company, e immediately raise suspicion.

Di executive na Paulo Roberto Costa, wey be di person wey dey in charge of refining and supply.

Costa come be di main target for di first phase of Car Wash investigation and dem arrest am.

Deltan Dallagnol, di lead Federal Prosecutor for di case, talk say investigators find “evidence of money laundering” wey total about 26 million Brazilian reals ($8m).

Criminal charges come dey against Costa, wey negotiate plea bargain with authorities.

“That one allow di investigation to expand well well,” Dallagnol talk. “Na di big bang of di Car Wash Operation.”

Bruno Brandao, wey be di head of Transparency International for Brazil, talk say, “E no doy happen before say Brazil go export corruption like dis wey dem do for di Car Wash case.”

E add say “di problem of corruption for Brazil na systemic, and for di Car Wash scandal.“

“Di mechanism of corruption na traditional dem dey overcharge for di contracts and dem dey set up company cartels.”

“Wetin dey new na di scale, di amount of money and di number of pipo wey dey involved officials and companies.”

Di dimensions of dis case na wetin make am extraordinary.

Federal police inspector Felipe Hayashi, wey dey lead di Financial Crimes Unit of di Car Wash taskforce, talk say di investigation “don reach pipo wey get highest rank and level of responsibility. Na something wey never happen before.”

Investigators don find out say dem get cartel of companies wey dey deal with Petrobras.

According to secret agreement wey don dey for more dan 10 years, di cartel go nominate one of dem members to collect each Petrobras contract for refineries, oil rigs, and oda multimillion-dollar projects.

“We don secure documents wey show how di cartel dey operate like championship rules for different sports,” Dallagnol talk.

“Dem be 16 championship players and di objective na to ‘maximise’ prizes for di national and international markets.”

E clear say dis companies no go eva openly admit cartel arrangement for clear way, so dem dey try disguise am as championship rules for di different sports.”

For Diaspora Digital Media Updates click on Whatsapp, or Telegram. For eyewitness accounts/ reports/ articles, write to: citizenreports@diasporadigitalmedia.com. Follow us on X (Fomerly Twitter) or Facebook