Peruvian Judge Orders Immediate Release of Ex-President Ollanta Humala After Constitutional Court Ruling

Peru's First National Preparatory Investigation Court has ordered the immediate release of former President Ollanta Humala, who served from 2011 to 2016. The court's decision came after the Constitutional Court declared null the judicial process that had resulted in Humala's 15-year prison sentence for money laundering.

Responding to a formal request from Humala's defense team, the court issued the necessary order to the National Penitentiary Institute (INPE) for his swift release from the Barbadillo prison. The judicial resolution also lifts any pending arrest warrants related to this case and formally notifies the Public Ministry and involved parties.

Humala had been effectively detained since April 2025. However, the Constitutional Court determined that the charges brought by the Public Prosecutor's Office lacked valid legal support. The court ruled that failing to declare or concealing campaign financial contributions did not constitute a crime under Peruvian penal law at the time the investigated events occurred.

The original case against Humala was based on allegations of receiving undeclared irregular funds for his 2006 and 2011 presidential campaigns, purportedly from the Venezuelan government and the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht. During this process, Humala had already served ten months of preventive detention between 2017 and 2018, a measure that was also revoked by the Constitutional Court at the time.

The Constitutional Court's ruling also invalidates the charges against former first lady Nadine Heredia under the same legal framework. Heredia is currently seeking asylum in Brazil. Despite this annulled trial, Humala faces five other judicial processes for alleged crimes including illicit association, aggravated collusion, passive bribery, incompatible negotiation, qualified homicide, and forced disappearance, stemming from his time as a military chief at an anti-terrorism base.

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We live in a state of law and the resolution must be complied with.