Peruvian judge archives illicit association charge against ex-President Humala in Odebrecht-linked case

A Peruvian judge has archived the charge of illicit association against former President Ollanta Humala and his wife, Nadine Heredia, in a case stemming from the Odebrecht corruption scandal. The special prosecutor's team had requested 35 years in prison for the former president.

Judge Leodan Cristóbal Ayala ruled in favor of a defense request to dismiss the charge, citing a law that requires "crimes of purpose" within criminal organizations to carry a minimum abstract penalty exceeding six years of imprisonment. The judge found this condition was not met in this specific case.

The court's decision, issued on July 3 but publicized on Sunday, lifts certain personal precautionary measures. However, the legal proceedings continue as accusations of aggravated collusion and potential civil reparation are still under consideration. A hearing to review these remaining charges is scheduled for July 6.

This development comes as Humala is currently serving a 15-year sentence for money laundering related to campaign funds from Odebrecht. He recently argued for his release, pointing to the dismissal of similar processes against other former presidents. Humala has maintained that campaign contributions do not constitute money laundering and that prosecutors failed to prove any illicit contributions in his case.

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The Judicial Power ratifies for the third time that a campaign contribution is not money laundering. In our case, the Public Ministry could not even demonstrate the delivery of a illicit contribution. So why am I still in prison?