Peruvian ex-President Ollanta Humala released after court overturns 15-year conviction

Court overturns conviction

On Thursday, Peru's Constitutional Court annulled the entire criminal proceedings against former President Ollanta Humala, declaring that the campaign contributions he received from third parties did not constitute a crime at the time. The court granted a habeas corpus petition filed by his defense in January 2026, leading to his immediate release order. On Friday around 19:40 local time, Humala left the Barbadillo prison in Lima, a facility that houses several former Peruvian leaders, after 15 months of detention.

"Kidnapped by the state"

Humala, 64, who governed from 2011 to 2016, addressed journalists upon his release with a trembling voice, claiming he and his family were victims of political and judicial persecution. He denied ever receiving illegal campaign funds from Venezuela or Brazil, and demanded an apology from the state. His lawyer, Wilfredo Pedraza, stated that when there is a judicial error, compensation is warranted, though the decision would be up to Humala. Humala's wife, Nadine Heredia, was convicted alongside him in April 2025 and fled to Brazil after seeking refuge in its embassy.

“We were victims of a political and judicial persecution. I was kidnapped by the state and hitmen of the justice system.”

A decade of Odebrecht scandal

The case stems from the Lava Jato investigation into Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht, now Novonor, which admitted to paying $788 million in bribes across Latin America over more than a decade, according to the U.S. Justice Department. Humala was convicted of receiving $3 million from Odebrecht for his successful 2011 campaign and $200,000 from then-Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez during his unsuccessful 2006 bid. The Constitutional Court ruled that because the crime of illicit campaign financing was only introduced into Peruvian law in 2016, applying it retroactively was invalid.

Other former Peruvian presidents have faced consequences: Alejandro Toledo (2001–2006) is serving a 20-year sentence for accepting over $30 million from Odebrecht; Alan Garcia (1985–1990, 2006–2011) died by suicide in 2019 as he was about to be arrested; and Pedro Pablo Kuczynski (2016–2018) remains under investigation after resigning amid impeachment threats.

Political reverberations

The ruling carries political weight just days after Keiko Fujimori was sworn in as Peru's new president. Fujimori, whose own case for allegedly accepting illegal Odebrecht campaign contributions was dismissed last year on similar grounds, commented on the decision. She noted that prosecutors may have done a poor job, and that in a rule-of-law state, court rulings must be respected regardless of personal views. Her remarks underscore a pattern where judicial outcomes have shifted with political tides in Peru. Humala defeated Fujimori in the 2011 election runoff.

“We live in a rule-of-law state and when you live in a rule-of-law state you have to respect the rulings, whether we like it or not.”