Peru’s ex-First Lady Nadine Heredia fled to Brazil and was granted diplomatic asylum after a Peruvian court found her and her ex-President husband Ollanta Humala guilty of money laundering and sentenced them to 15 years in prison.
Heredia, who did not show up at the sentencing hearing, arrived in Brasília on April 17 accompanied by her son, said her attorney, Julio Espinoza. Just hours before the court issued its verdict, she had requested asylum at the Brazilian Embassy in Lima. Brazil has now granted asylum to both of them, while the Peruvian government facilitated their safe travel, CNN reports.
Heredia’s abrupt departure has been a cause of concern in Peru’s political circles, with critics accusing her of avoiding justice. Espinoza clarified that the decision to seek asylum was on “family and personal grounds” taken just before the court ruling. He acknowledged hearing about the request for asylum through media reports.
The verdict is a milestone in an extended court battle that is part of illegal campaign funding that has been associated with some of the region’s largest corruption scandals. The prosecutors indicted Humala’s Nationalist Party of receiving millions in illegal campaign funds from Venezuela and Brazilian conglomerate Odebrecht to fund his 2006 and 2011 presidential campaigns.
The pair have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. They were indicted on charges that they used shell companies and untaxed bank accounts to channel the illegal money into their campaign treasury and personal wallets. Prosecutors had sought to have Humala sentenced to 20 years and Heredia for 26.
Humala showed up in court on April 16 when the sentence was being read. Immediately upon the verdict, judges ordered him to begin serving his sentence immediately. His lawyer, Wilfredo Pedraza, described the decision as “inexplicable” and confirmed arrangements to appeal.
“Admitted that subsequent to ascertaining the illegality of the offenses – that is not admissible. In a trial and sentencing, findings must be stated and not presumptions,” Pedraza told CNN.
If the case goes to appeal, Heredia may be able to appear remotely from Brazil, Espinoza added. The convictions come in the wake of an ongoing effort across Latin America to pursue former leaders for financial corruption and misconduct, particularly in the wake of the widespread Odebrecht corruption scandal that has entangled numerous political leaders across the region.
