Vizcarra, a leader of the Peru First Party, was found guilty of leading a corruption scheme while he was governor.
A Peruvian court has sentenced former President Martin Vizcarra to 14 years in prison for his involvement in a corruption scandal when he was governor of the southern region of Mocagua.
In its ruling on Wednesday, the court imposed a nine-year ban on Vizcarra from running for office as well as a fine.
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He is expected to begin serving his prison sentence immediately. But Vizcarra indicated he planned to appeal the ruling against him.
“This is not justice, this is revenge,” Vizcarra wrote on social media in response to the verdict. “But they won’t break me.”
He was found guilty of accepting more than $600,000 in bribes in exchange for contracts for large-scale projects in Mocagua.
Vizcarra, who is currently the leader of the Peru First Party, led Mocagua from 2011 to 2014, before serving as president from 2018 to 2020.
He joins three other former Peruvian presidents who are currently serving prison sentences, a trend that experts say underscores the instability and corruption endemic in the country’s political system. Other former leaders continue to face criminal charges.
Peru has had six presidents since 2018. Some have been removed from office through impeachment, while others have left office due to corruption scandals.
Vizcarra himself came to the presidency after his predecessor Pedro Pablo Kuczynski faced impeachment proceedings.
Kuczynski ultimately resigned in 2018, as an investigation began into whether he tried to buy congressional votes to avoid impeachment. He also faced criticism for his involvement in bribery scandals involving Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht.
Vizcarra’s tenure lasted less than three years. He also faced impeachment due to “moral turpitude” and was ultimately ousted by the opposition in 2020 over corruption charges.
The former president has strongly denied any wrongdoing, and has insisted that his impeachment and prosecution were politically motivated. His elder brother, Mario Vizcarra, is a potential contender in the 2026 presidential election, with Martín serving as a close advisor to the Peru First party.
“They sentenced me to face the mafia deal,” Vizcarra said in a social media post on Wednesday.
He said his brother will “continue to fight” and voters will be back at the ballot box next year.
“They have removed me from office. They have barred me from holding public office. They have expelled me from my party. And now they are throwing me in jail,” Vizcarra wrote. “Are they that afraid of Vizcarra?”
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