Overview
- A Peruvian court found Vizcarra guilty of taking roughly $676,000 from construction firms in exchange for Moquegua public works while he was governor from 2011 to 2014.
- Vizcarra has rejected the verdict and says he is the target of political persecution.
- The trial began in October 2024 after a turbulent period in which Vizcarra rose to the presidency in 2018 and was removed by Congress in 2020.
- Peru has cycled through six presidents since 2018, with other former leaders jailed or detained including Alejandro Toledo and Ollanta Humala for corruption convictions and Pedro Castillo on rebellion charges.
- The verdict lands as his brother, Mario Vizcarra, prepares a 2026 presidential run for the Peru First party, with the former president serving as an advisor despite a 10-year ban from public office.