Peruvian Court Overturns Money Laundering Trial Against Former First Lady Nadine Heredia

Peru's judiciary has declared the money laundering trial against Nadine Heredia, the wife of former President Ollanta Humala, unconstitutional, effectively annulling her 15-year prison sentence. The National Penal Appellate Chamber's Second Criminal Court issued the ruling, which also permanently archives the case related to alleged irregular campaign contributions.

Wilfredo Pedraza, Heredia's defense attorney, announced the decision, explaining that the court applied an exceptional resolution extending the benefits of a prior Constitutional Court ruling to Heredia and other co-defendants. This ruling had previously annulled the criminal proceedings against former President Ollanta Humala. Pedraza described the outcome as the end of "over 11 years of pure arbitrariness."

The decision benefits Heredia's mother, Antonia Alarcón; her brother, Ilán Heredia; former congressman Santiago Gastañadui; and five other individuals involved in the case. The court ordered the immediate lifting of all arrest warrants, requisitions, and any other coercive measures against the defendants.

The prosecution's case centered on accusations that Heredia received and failed to declare funds from the Venezuelan government and the construction company Odebrecht for the 2006 and 2011 election campaigns. However, the Supreme Court had previously determined that the failure to declare electoral contributions did not constitute money laundering under the legal framework in place at the time, rendering the prosecution's case without sufficient legal basis.

This nullification comes weeks after Humala's release from prison on July 31, following his sentencing in April 2025. Upon his release, the former president had characterized the legal actions against him as political persecution, stating that the prior conviction had compelled him to seek political asylum for his wife in Brazil.