Ex-President Humala likens Lava Jato prosecutors to Fujimori's death squad

Former Peruvian President Ollanta Humala has drawn a stark parallel between the team of prosecutors investigating the Lava Jato case and the notorious "Colina Group," a military intelligence unit responsible for extrajudicial killings during the Alberto Fujimori regime. Humala, who himself faced a 15-year prison sentence in a case later annulled by the Constitutional Court, accused the prosecutors of perverting their investigative mandate.

"They remind me of the Colina Group, which was created for a purpose that was later corrupted. Each committed their assassinations by order, some with the pen perverted the criminal procedure code, and others with the rifles and weapons the State gave them," Humala stated during a press encounter with foreign correspondents in Peru. He joined a chorus of political criticism against the special prosecutor's office tasked with investigating the Peruvian branches of the Brazil-originated Lava Jato scandal, which exposed widespread bribery by the Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht.

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They remind me of the Colina Group, which was created for a purpose that was later corrupted. Each committed their assassinations by order, some with the pen perverted the criminal procedure code, and others with the rifles and weapons the State gave them.

Humala asserted that Peru has witnessed a "witch hunt" against politicians like himself, who he describes as being resistant to the country's prevailing liberal economic model. He contrasted this with the alleged leniency shown to implicated business executives, although he acknowledged that some corrupt politicians must face consequences. Humala, who has been under legal scrutiny for over a decade, was released from prison on July 31 after serving fourteen months of a sentence for alleged money laundering in his campaign financing, a conviction later overturned.

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Politicians have been subjected to preventive detention, convicted, and had their assets seized. We have been under biometric controls, appearances, and travel bans for almost 20 years. We have become financial system pariahs. No one investigated for money laundering is allowed to have an account.

"Politicians have been subjected to preventive detention, convicted, and had their assets seized. We have been under biometric controls, appearances, and travel bans for almost 20 years. We have become financial system pariahs. No one investigated for money laundering is allowed to have an account," Humala lamented. He accused the prosecutors of being "disloyal and traitors to the country" by shifting their focus from tracing Odebrecht's illicit payments to pursuing politicians for fame. He questioned why prosecutors allegedly allowed Odebrecht to sell assets in Peru without seizing funds for reparations and why its former manager in Peru, Jorge Barata, who was privy to illicit payments, was allowed to retain his assets and leave for Brazil.

Humala reiterated his innocence, denying claims of receiving donations from Venezuela's Chavismo or Odebrecht for his presidential campaigns. He highlighted the disparity in treatment, stating that companies and executives from Odebrecht, OAS, and other firms have been treated differently compared to politicians. He argued that the prosecutors deviated from their original mission of investigating Lava Jato's ramifications in Peru to pursue political persecution.

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The former Peruvian president accused the prosecutors of being "disloyal and traitors to the country" by shifting their focus from tracing Odebrecht's illicit payments to pursuing politicians for fame.