Who Is Ollanta Humala? Ex-Peru President, Wife Surrender After Court Orders Arrest In Money Laundering Case

Former Peru President Ollanta Humala and his wife Nadine Heradia surrendered in a court in Lima late Thursday night after facing money laundering charges related to a construction project, according to multiple reports. A Peruvian judge ordered the arrest in a hearing that both Humala and Heradia did not attend. The couple is facing 18 months in prison while formal charges are prepared against them.

The ruling came in favour of prosecutor German Juarez after he stated in a written request he had evidence that could incriminate Humala and his wife, and could prove in court that the couple took illegally obtained money from the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht SA. The testimonies of the top officials of the construction giant revealed that $3 million (2.3 million pounds) was given to Humala’s presidential campaign in 2011.

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The couple is also accused of taking undeclared funds from late Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez during a previous unsuccessful bid for presidency in 2006 as an ally of Chavez.

Humala’s term was riddled with failures of policies and dissatisfaction among the people. In addition, corruption allegations against people in his office were extremely frequent. The former first lady was also at the center of various financial irregularities.

In 2009, Peruvian newspapers published articles highlighting Heredia received significant payments from Venezuelan newspapers, companies and NGOs. This controversy also added to the allegation that Humala’s campaign was funded by Chavez. His 2006 campaign manager Martin Belaunde also faced charges of money laundering, conspiracy and embezzlement. Humala, who finished his term in 2016, never declared the contributions and prosecutors argue he and his wife conspired to hide them for personal gain.

The current preventative detention order came after prosecutors argued the couple could flee Peru to evade justice. Humala, however, has insisted he has no intention of fleeing the country. He said he looked forward to defending himself against — what he called — baseless charges.

"We're staying here, we've even handed over our passports," he said Thursday during a brief meeting with the reporters. The journalists had been gathering for three days outside his home to get his comments, according to ABC News. "In every moment we've shown our roots and good will. But the prosecutor sees everything we do in the opposite light. I think he's been poisoned."

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Humala is not the only politician whose image has been tarnished by the Odebrecht scandal. Previously, the same judge ordered the arrest of former President Alejandro Toledo for allegedly receiving $20m in bribes from Odebrecht in return for granting a lucrative contract to build a transoceanic highway between Brazil and the Peruvian coast. Another former president Alan Garcia was also embroiled in the scam.

Authorities across Latin American countries, including Brazil, have been pushing to charge top officials in countries accused of taking some $800 million in bribes from Odebrecht. The company acknowledged the bribes when it signed a plea agreement in December this year with the Justice Department, according to the ABC. The bribes in Peru alone include some $29 million for projects built during the administrations of Toledo, Humala and Garcia.