US judge clears way for extradition of former Peruvian president Alejandro Toledo
- Peruvian authorities allege that Toledo, while serving as president between 2001 and 2006, negotiated bribes with Brazilian conglomerate Odebrecht SA
- Final say on whether to extradite Toledo, who is under house arrest in California, now lies with the US State Department
A US judge on Tuesday cleared the way for former Peruvian president Alejandro Toledo to be extradited back to Peru on corruption charges, saying evidence of criminality presented in his case were “sufficient.”
Peruvian authorities allege that Toledo, while serving as president between 2001 and 2006, negotiated bribes with Brazilian conglomerate Odebrecht SA.
Final say on whether to extradite Toledo now lies with the US State Department. Peru has been trying to extradite Toledo since 2018.
Toledo has denied the corruption allegations against him. He lives in California, near the Stanford University campus, where he studied and later worked. He is currently under house arrest, although he also spent several months in prison during the earlier stages of the extradition case.
Toledo is one of five former Peruvian presidents whom authorities allege have engaged in corrupt acts in recent decades.
Toledo and two others are alleged to have had illegal entanglements with Odebrecht. The company has admitted that its vast construction empire in Latin America also doled out bribes in many nations.