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Peru’s Constitutional Tribunal Rebukes Prosecutors in ‘Cocteles’ Case

The ruling faults the case for stretching money-laundering law to party financing without proving illicit origins of the funds.

Overview

  • The majority held that prosecutors violated the principle of legality by constructing a non-existent criminal type and by treating a political party as a criminal organization.
  • The decision says the accusation did not identify illicit origin of campaign funds and improperly extended the money-laundering offense to political financing that became criminalized only in 2019.
  • Dissenting justices argued the tribunal overstepped into ordinary criminal jurisdiction and disputed any violation of the reasonable-time guarantee.
  • The Public Prosecutor’s Office filed a second accusation on July 2, 2025, reducing some counts and seeking 35 years in prison for Keiko Fujimori.
  • The yearslong process—marked by 19 returns of the accusation and three imprisonments—has fueled opposing commentary, with some calling the ruling a correction and others, including former TC head Marianella Ledesma, calling it unequal treatment and a clash with Supreme Court criteria.