The ex-president of Peru, Toledo, is sentenced to more than twenty years in prison

Former Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo attends a court hearing where the judge will rule on his corruption case on October 21 in Lima, Peru. (AP)

LIMA, Peru, Oct 22 (AP): Former Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo was sentenced Monday to 20 years and six months in prison in a case involving Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht, which became synonymous with corruption across Latin America , where it paid millions of dollars in bribes to government officials and others.

Authorities accused Toledo of taking $35 million in bribes from Odebrecht in exchange for allowing the construction of a highway in the South American country. The National Supreme Court for Specialized Criminal Justice in the capital Lima imposed the sentence after years of legal wrangling, including a dispute over whether Toledo, who ruled Peru from 2001 to 2006, could be extradited by the United States.

Judge Inés Rojas said Toledo’s victims were Peruvians who “trusted” him as their president. Rojas explained that in that role, Toledo was “responsible for managing public finances” and responsible for “protecting and ensuring the appropriate” use of resources. she said he “deceived the state.” She added that Toledo “had a duty to act with absolute neutrality, to protect and preserve the assets of the state and to avoid their abuse or exploitation,” but he failed to do so.

Odebrecht, who built some of Latin America’s most crucial infrastructure projects, admitted to U.S. authorities in 2016 that he used generous bribes to purchase government contracts across the region. The U.S. Department of Justice investigation led to investigations in several countries, including Mexico, Guatemala and Ecuador.

In Peru, authorities accused Toledo and three other former presidents of receiving payments from the construction giant. They alleged that Toledo received $35 million from Odebrecht in exchange for the contract to build 650 kilometers (403 miles) of highway connecting Brazil with southern Peru. That portion of the highway was initially estimated at $507 million, but Peru ultimately paid $1.25 billion.

Rojas at one point read portions of testimony from Jorge Barata, a former Odebrecht director in Peru, who told prosecutors that the former president called him up to three times after leaving office to demand he be paid. Toledo lowered his gaze and looked at his hands as Rojas read the expletive-laden comments Barata told prosecutors.