Ollanta Humala, the former president of Peru, and his wife were sentenced to 15 years in prison for money laundering

Former Peruvian President Humala and his spouse received a 15-year sentence for money laundering during the presidential campaigns in 2006 and 2011.

After being convicted guilty of money laundering connected to unlawful campaign financing, former Peruvian President Ollanta Humala received a 15-year prison sentence.

Nadine Heredia, his wife and political ally, was also given the same sentence in a historic decision that concludes a multi-year probe into corruption connected to the massive Brazilian construction company Odebrecht.

According to the Lima court, Humala, 62, accepted illegal money from Odebrecht to help finance his bids for presidency in 2006 and 2011. Heredia was also found guilty of laundering the illegal cash, having co-founded the Nationalist Party with Humala.

The court imposed 15-year penalties during a trial that lasted over three years, despite the fact that prosecutors had requested higher sentences—20 years for Humala and 26 and a half for Heredia. Heredia saw the ruling via video hookup while Humala was in court.

Even though the pair insisted they were innocent during the trial, the issue has now clouded their political careers. According to confirmation from Peru’s foreign ministry, Heredia has been given asylum in Brazil and will be allowed to go there safely with her son.

A former army officer who rose to national prominence in 2000 as the leader of a failed military coup against then-President Alberto Fujimori, Humala made his presidential debut in 2006 with Hugo Chávez of Venezuela’s support. Despite losing to Alan García, prosecutors claimed that he accepted illicit campaign financing from Chávez during that election.

During his successful 2011 campaign, Humala broke with Chávez and supported the moderate ideas of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the president of Brazil at the time. Keiko Fujimori, a right-wing contender and the daughter of the former president he had previously militarily opposed, was defeated.

But social upheaval and political conflict soon tainted his rule. His legal issues started soon after his term ended in 2016, and his administration was weakened by early disputes and a lack of congressional backing.

In order to obtain state contracts, Odebrecht acknowledged in that same year that he had paid bribes totaling hundreds of millions throughout Latin America. Investigators said that the corporation had given millions to Humala and Heredia. Although they were eventually released while the inquiry is ongoing, a court in 2017 ordered their pre-trial incarceration.