Former Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo has been sentenced to 20 years and six months in prison for accepting $35 million in bribes from Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht, marking Peru’s first significant conviction linked to the Operation Car Wash (Lava Jato) scandal. Toledo, who served as president from 2001 to 2006, was convicted of accepting bribes in exchange for awarding Odebrecht a contract to construct a road connecting Peru’s southern coast to Brazil’s Amazonian region.

Odebrecht, now known as Novonor, admitted in 2016 to bribing officials across Latin America to secure major public works projects, placing it at the center of one of the largest corruption scandals in the region. During his trial, Toledo denied charges of money laundering and collusion, although prosecutors presented testimony from former Odebrecht executive Jorge Barata and Toledo’s ex-associate, Josef Maiman, who confirmed the bribes.

In court, Judge Inés Rojas highlighted Toledo’s betrayal of the public’s trust, noting that he was responsible for managing public funds responsibly but instead defrauded the Peruvian state. Despite Toledo’s plea for leniency, citing health concerns, his sentence will be served in a specially built Lima prison, which previously held former leaders like Alberto Fujimori and now houses Pedro Castillo, awaiting trial for rebellion.

Toledo’s conviction is part of a larger investigation into Peruvian officials’ involvement in the Odebrecht scandal, which has already implicated other former presidents, including Pedro Pablo Kuczynski and Ollanta Humala.