Peru's Constitutional Tribunal has annulled the investigation and conviction of former President Ollanta Humala for alleged illicit campaign financing, paving the way for the release of the first former head of state sentenced in the Odebrecht scandal.
The ruling, published on Thursday in Lima, declared Humala's habeas corpus petition founded on grounds that the principles of legality and typicity were violated. The court found that irregular campaign contributions cannot be classified as money laundering, as the offence of illicit financing was only introduced in Peru in 2016, after the 2006 and 2011 campaigns in question. Humala, 64, had been serving a 15-year sentence at Barbadillo prison following a 2025 conviction. His wife, Nadine Heredia, sought asylum in Brazil during the proceedings.
The case involved alleged contributions from Odebrecht and the Brazilian government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The tribunal ordered a lower court to define Humala's legal status following the annulment.