Peru Attorney General to seek arrest of ex-President Toledo
LIMA, Peru — A major corruption scandal shaking politicians across Latin America continued spreading across the region on Tuesday as Peru’s attorney general announced he would seek the arrest of former President Alejandro Toledo on charges of laundering of assets and influence trafficking.
Toledo was believed to be in Paris. He has denied any wrongdoing in interviews with news media.
Peruvian prosecutors opened a formal investigation Monday into suspicions that the former president took $20 million in bribes from Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht, which is at the heart of the regional scandal.
The prosecutors believe Toledo received the money in exchange for giving the firm permission to build a highway connecting Brazil with the Peruvian coast.