A Peruvian court on Wednesday sentenced former president Martin Vizcarra to 14 years in prison for accepting bribes while serving as regional governor of Moquegua.
Vizcarra, who led the country’s anti-corruption fight as president from 2018 to 2020, was found guilty of receiving payments from construction companies between 2011 and 2014 in exchange for awarding public works contracts. Prosecutors said the bribes amounted to the equivalent of $640,000.
The 62-year-old showed no visible reaction as the sentence was read in a Lima courtroom. The prosecution had sought a 15-year term.
Vizcarra becomes the latest in a series of former Peruvian presidents imprisoned on corruption charges. He will join three other ex-leaders — Pedro Castillo (2021–2022), Ollanta Humala (2011–2016), and Alejandro Toledo (2001–2006) — at a special detention facility for former presidents in Lima.
Despite the conviction, Vizcarra has consistently maintained his innocence. Earlier this year, he spent 22 days in jail as an alleged flight risk but was released on bail pending the trial, which began in October 2024.
