Former Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo turns himself in to U.S. authorities
Former Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo has turned himself in this Friday to the U.S. authorities as a preliminary step to his extradition to the Andean countrywhere he has several corruption cases pending before the courts.
His surrender thus puts an end to a long judicial process he has been prolonging until the last moment, in an attempt to stop his return to Peru, where he will have to serve at least 18 months in prison preventive while the investigation into the alleged bribes he received from Odebrecht in exchange for public works progresses.
Toledo has surrendered in a judicial headquarters different from that of the San Jose Courthouse in California, in which had been cited in order to avoid images of the moment of his arrest, reported Peruvian broadcaster RPP.
Collusion and money laundering
In the last few hours, the U.S. judiciary had rejected an ’emergency motiona last attempt to stop his extradition. The former Peruvian president has put forward all sorts of reasons to avoid having to return to Peru, from his state of health to the recent political crisis in his country.
Toledo is accused by Peruvian authorities of. collusion and money laundering in the framework of the investigation for bribes that he allegedly received from the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht in exchange for the company being favored in the bidding for works of the Interoceanic Highway, accusations that he denies.
As part of this operation, Toledo was arrested in the United States in July 2019 with a view to his extradition to Peru. However, in March 2020 he achieved the release on bail claiming health risks due to the coronavirus pandemic.
