Former Peruvian president Ollanta Humala walked free from a Lima prison on Friday evening after the Constitutional Court overturned his 15-year sentence for money laundering linked to the Odebrecht corruption scandal. Humala, who governed from 2011 to 2016, left the special detention facility for ex-heads of state at around 7:40 p.m. local time, escorted by police and greeted by a crowd of supporters. A criminal court had ordered his immediate release earlier in the day, acting on the constitutional ruling published on Thursday.

Humala and his wife, Nadine Heredia, were convicted in April 2025 of receiving illegal campaign contributions: US$3 million from the Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht for his 2011 presidential run, and US$200,000 from the government of Hugo Chávez in Venezuela for his unsuccessful 2006 bid. Speaking to journalists outside the prison, Humala denied ever accepting such funds and described the case as “political and judicial persecution”. He said the proceedings had forced him to send his wife into asylum in Brazil and to remove his children from the country. Heredia, who was also sentenced to 15 years, sought refuge at the Brazilian embassy after the verdict and remains in Brazil.

The Constitutional Court declared the entire criminal process null and void, finding that the concealment of electoral donations was not a criminal offence at the time of the campaigns. The court stated that the prosecution had failed to establish the necessary elements to configure money laundering, and that the principle of legality had been violated. Humala’s lawyer, Julio Espinoza Goyena, said the ruling confirmed that the contributions “do not constitute money laundering”. Peru’s new foreign minister, Carlos Espa, who serves in the government of right-wing President Keiko Fujimori, called the decision “fair”. Fujimori, whom Humala defeated in the 2011 runoff, herself benefited from a similar constitutional court annulment in a separate Odebrecht-linked case.

The Odebrecht scandal has entangled four Peruvian ex-presidents. Alejandro Toledo, Martín Vizcarra and Pedro Castillo remain in the same Barbadillo prison facility, while Alan García died by suicide in 2019 as he faced arrest. Odebrecht admitted in 2016 to paying at least US$29 million in bribes to Peruvian officials between 2005 and 2014, part of a US$788 million regional bribery scheme. Humala’s release does not end all his legal exposure: his defence acknowledged five other ongoing criminal proceedings against him, including charges of aggravated collusion and forced disappearance. The annulment also benefits Heredia, though she has not indicated whether she will return from Brazil.