Ollanta Humala, former president of Peru from 2011 to 2016, was released from Barbadillo Prison in Lima on July 31, 2026, after the Constitutional Court overturned his 15-year corruption sentence [1, 2, 3, 4]. Humala had been convicted in 2025 for accepting illegal campaign funds from Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht and Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez during the 2006 and 2011 election campaigns [5, 1, 2, 3, 4].

The court annulled the criminal proceedings because at the time of the alleged offenses, campaign contributions were not legally defined as money laundering under Peruvian law [5, 1, 2, 3, 4]. Humala’s lawyers argued the prosecution was politically motivated. "The Criminal Chamber currently handling the case must order the definitive dismissal of the proceedings and the FREEDOM of former President Ollanta Humala," said Julio Espinoza Goyena, one of Humala's lawyers [5]. Humala himself said, "They needed to persecute us because of our administration and our political ideology... I was taken hostage by the state and by the hitmen of the justice system" [1].

Humala and his wife, Nadine Heredia, who was also convicted and sentenced to 15 years, have claimed political and judicial persecution. Humala stated, "我們（夫妻）一直是政治與司法迫害的受害者," meaning they have been victims of such persecution [5, 1, 3, 4]. Heredia sought and received asylum in Brazil, where she currently resides [5, 1, 2, 3, 4].

The ruling cites earlier cases where convictions were overturned, including that of Peru’s new president Keiko Fujimori, who took office in June 2026 following a narrow election victory [5, 1, 3, 4].

The Odebrecht scandal, which has implicated multiple former Peruvian presidents, involved bribery totaling at least $29 million paid to officials in Peru between 2005 and 2014. Odebrecht agreed globally to $3.5 billion in penalties [2, 3, 4]. Alongside Humala, former presidents Alejandro Toledo, sentenced to over 20 years in prison, Alan García, who died by suicide in 2019, and Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, who faced impeachment, have been caught up in the scandal [5, 2, 3, 4].

Peru’s Foreign Minister Carlos Espa expressed strong support for the court’s decision, saying, "我對法院的裁決感到非常欣慰" (I am very pleased with the court ruling) [3]. Humala’s lawyer Wilfredo Pedraza said the ruling was met "with considerable satisfaction" [2].

Following his release, the criminal case against Humala remains to be definitively dismissed by the Criminal Chamber handling the matter [5].