Peru's former President Alejandro Toledo cleared for extradition from US
Ex-Peruvian President, who was arrested in the US in connection with the biggest bribery scandal, has now been cleared for extradition back to Peru
- World News
- 2 min read
Former Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo, who was arrested in the United States two years ago in connection with the biggest bribery scandal, has now been cleared for extradition back to Peru. According to BBC, US Magistrate Judge Thomas S. Hixson on Tuesday, 28 September, granted Peru’s request to send Toledo back to his home country to face trial. The judge approved the move saying sufficient evidence had been presented in a case against the former president to suggest wrongdoing.
Judge Thomas Hixson of the US District Court in California said there was enough evidence to "establish probable cause to believe that Toledo committed collusion and money laundering." Hixson said that this included testimony from Odebrecht's former executive director in Peru, Jorge Barata. However, Judge Hixson also added that the case against the former Peruvian President was “not airtight” and that some witnesses had contradicted themselves while giving evidence.
Toledo denies all charges
The recent development comes after Peru had asked the US State Department to extradite Toledo in 2018. The Latin American country had accused the former President of taking $20 million in bribes from the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht, while in office between 2001 and 2006. However, Toledo has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
In his court filings, the 75-year-old has said that bribes by Odebrecht weren’t paid to him but to Josef Mainman, an Israeli businessman, who falsely claimed to be acting on his behalf. Toledo, who has been living in California and has been a visiting scholar at Stanford University, has previously even said that the allegations against him are politically motivated. Separately, his attorneys have said that Toledo shouldn’t be extradited as there’s no “probable cause” that shows he committed offences. However, Peruvian officials have alleged that Toledo received millions of dollars in return for awarding public works contracts.