Peruvian Justice Annuls House Arrest Of Ex-President Kuczynski

On Sunday, Peruvian Judge Jorge Chavez accepted a request filed by the Prosecutor’s Office to change the house arrest imposed on former President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski (2016-2018) over money laundering in 2019 for probation.

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The 83-year-old politician will continue to be investigated in freedom as long as he meets a series of conduct rules, such as going to court every month, not leaving Lima, not communicating with witnesses or experts on the case, or giving statements to the press about the case against him. 

Judge Chavez also prevented the former President from communicating with his former secretary Gloria Kisic, his driver Jose Bernaola, and his business partner Gerardo Sepulveda, all of whom are suspects in the case. Kuczynski, however, was enabled to carry out political activities while remaining on probation.

The ex-president will be sent back to house arrest if he fails to comply with the requirements imposed. In the coming days, this judge will analyze a request filed by the Prosecutor's office to prevent Kuczynski from leaving the country for 36 months.

Kuczynski is being prosecuted for the money transfers the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht made to his companies Westfield Capital, First Capital, and Latin America Enterprise between 2002 and 2006, a period when he served as the president of the Council of Ministers and Economy Minister.

This bribery scandal also involved former Peruvian presidents Alejandro Toledo (2001-2006), Alan Garcia (1985-1990, 2006-2011), Ollanta Humala (2011-2016), and opposition leader Keiko Fujimori, who is also being prosecuted for money laundering.

The Peruvian justice also accuses Kuczynski of receiving millionaire financial transactions between 2007 and 2015, when he participated in two presidential election campaigns.