A judge orders prison time for former Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski who is accused to taking bribes from Brazilian construction company Odebrecht
ADVERTISEMENTIn Peru, a judge has ruled that former President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski should be imprisoned for up to three years to allow prosecutors to prepare a case against him for allegedly taking bribes from Brazilian construction company Odebrecht.
He was not present at the hearing because he was being treated for heart problems at a local clinic.
The 80-year-old former Wall Street banker, who once held US citizenship, denies any wrongdoing. His lawyer had asked for him to be placed under house arrest but the judge ruled his medical condition could just as easily be treated in jail.
Kuczynski is the latest Latin American figure to be caught up in a growing corruption scandal. Just two days ago another former Peruvian president, Alan Garcia, committed suicide rather than be arrested in connection with Odebrecht. He too had been suspected of taking bribes from the company.
Garcia shot himself in the head as police turned up at his house to detain him.
Thousands of people turned out for his funeral on Friday.
There was a high degree of anger towards the government as some people think Garcia was driven to his death by a politically motivated prosecution.