Peru court sentences ex-president Martin Vizcarra to 14 years for corruption

A Peruvian court has sentenced former President Martin Vizcarra to 14 years in prison over a corruption scandal linked to his time as governor of the southern Moquegua region, marking another dramatic chapter in Peru’s long-running political turmoil.

The ruling, issued on Wednesday, also bars Vizcarra from running for public office for nine years and imposes a financial penalty. He is expected to begin serving his sentence immediately, though he has already signalled plans to appeal.

“This is not justice, it is revenge,” Vizcarra wrote on social media. “But they will not break me.”

The court found that he accepted more than $600,000 in bribes in exchange for awarding contracts for major infrastructure projects in Moquegua, where he served as governor from 2011 to 2014 before becoming president in 2018.

Vizcarra, now a prominent figure in the Peru First party, joins a growing list of jailed former leaders. Three other Peruvian ex-presidents are currently serving prison sentences, reinforcing what analysts describe as a cycle of instability and systemic corruption.

Peru has seen six presidents since 2018 alone, with a mix of impeachments, resignations and corruption scandals shaking the political landscape. Vizcarra himself rose to the presidency after Pedro Pablo Kuczynski resigned amid impeachment pressure and links to the Odebrecht bribery network.

His own term ended in 2020 after he was removed for “moral incapacity” following corruption allegations, charges he has consistently denied, maintaining that both his impeachment and prosecution were politically driven.

“They have sentenced me for facing the mafioso pact,” Vizcarra wrote after the verdict. “They’ve removed me from office. They’ve barred me from holding public office. They’ve expelled me from my party. And now they’re throwing me in jail. Are they so afraid of Vizcarra?”

Despite his conviction, Vizcarra remains politically influential, acting as a key adviser to Peru First, where his older brother Mario Vizcarra is seen as a possible contender in the 2026 presidential race.