Former Peruvian President Humala Freed as Money Laundering Case Annulled

Former Peruvian President Ollanta Humala walked free from prison Friday, hours after the country's Constitutional Court annulled his 15-year sentence for money laundering related to irregular campaign financing. Humala, who led Peru from 2011 to 2016, had been incarcerated since April 2025.

Humala exited the Barbadillo prison, a facility reserved for former presidents, where other ex-leaders like Alejandro Toledo, Martín Vizcarra, and Pedro Castillo are currently held. He immediately denounced his imprisonment, telling reporters, "We have been victims of political and judicial persecution." He described his sentencing as being "kidnapped by the state" and denied receiving campaign funds from Venezuela or Brazil.

The Constitutional Court's decision declared the legal process against Humala illegal, stating that the accusations of money laundering lacked sufficient evidence and that the alleged concealment of campaign donations was not a crime at the time of the events. This ruling followed a demand by Humala's lawyers for his swift release.

Humala had previously spent ten months in pretrial detention for the same case between 2017 and 2018, a measure that was also eventually revoked by the Constitutional Court. The case centered on allegations of undeclared contributions to his 2006 and 2011 presidential campaigns. Upon his release, Humala was greeted by supporters outside the prison in Lima.