A Peruvian judge on Wednesday ordered the pre-trial detention of former President Martín Vizcarra for allegedly accepting bribes while serving as governor more than a decade ago.
At the hearing, Judge Jorge Chávez ruled that Vizcarra be held for five months, making him the fifth former Peruvian president to be imprisoned in recent years.
Vizcarra is accused of receiving bribes totalling the equivalent of $640,000 from construction companies in exchange for awarding public works contracts in the Moquegua region between 2011 and 2014.
He is expected to be transferred to a police facility in Lima designed specifically to house former presidents. The prison already holds former Presidents Alejandro Toledo, Ollanta Humala and Pedro Castillo. Its first inmate was former President Alberto Fujimori, who was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2009 for human rights violations. Fujimori was pardoned in late 2023, sparking nationwide protests, and died of cancer the following year.
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Vizcarra, who has denied the allegations and claims he is a victim of political persecution, assumed the presidency in 2018 following the resignation of his predecessor. He was removed from office by Congress two years later when investigations against him began.
A previous judge had in June rejected the prosecutor’s request to detain Vizcarra, but the public ministry appealed the decision, arguing that he posed a flight risk. Vizcarra had also announced plans to contest the 2026 presidential election.
His lawyer has confirmed that he will appeal the detention order. The prosecution is seeking a prison sentence of up to 15 years for the former president.
Peru’s politics have been marked by persistent turbulence in recent years, with the country cycling through six presidents since 2018 amid corruption scandals, resignations and impeachments.
