Lima, Nov 26 (EFE). – Former Peruvian President Martín Vizcarra (2018-2020) was sentenced Wednesday to 14 years in prison after the court determined he received over 2.3 million soles (about 700,000 dollars) in bribes when he was governor of the southern region of Moquegua (2011-2014).
The president of the Fourth National Criminal Court, Fernanda Ayasta, declared that Vizcarra received a bribe of one million soles from the company Obrainsa to award it the Lomas de Ilo agricultural irrigation project in 2013.
Judge Ayasta stated that Vizcarra had the necessary information to favor Obrainsa and that he communicated with the former general manager of this company, Elard Tejeda, to propose a bribe of one million soles and the rental of a light aircraft.
The court also declared that Vizcarra received another 1.3 million soles in cash from the ICCGSA company to develop improvements to the Moquegua Hospital, according to statements by witnesses called by the prosecution, whose testimony was verified.
In this case, there were fictitious contracts to disburse the money as payment to a third company, the court said.
The payments to the defendant were made in cash, through former minister José Manuel Hernández, a close collaborator of Vizcarra, at the former president’s home in Lima, including an additional balance of 200,000 soles (70,000 dollars) when he was already head of state.
The judge emphasized that Vizcarra committed “illegal acts” abusing his position as regional governor to award contracts “in exchange for money.”
In addition to the 14-year prison sentence, to be served immediately, the court also imposed a nine-year ban on holding public office and a fine of 94,900 soles (28,100 dollars).
Although the prosecution had requested a 15-year prison sentence for Vizcarra, the court considered the former president’s lack of a criminal record to be a mitigating factor.
Minutes after hearing the sentence, while still in the courtroom, Vizcarra shared a message on his X account in which he stated that he had been sentenced “for confronting the mafia pact” that dominates Congress, referring to the group of conservative forces that removed him from office in 2020 when these past indications of corruption came to light.
The former president said the indictment was revenge for having closed Congress in 2019 when they obstructed his reforms.
“This is not justice, it is revenge. But they will not break me. The answer lies in the ballot box,” added the former president, who asked people to vote for his brother Mario, who will replace him as a presidential candidate in the 2026 elections. EFE
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