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A US judge confirmed on Tuesday that Alejandro Toledo could be extradited to Peru to stand trial on charges of taking bribes from Brazilian construction company Odebrecht.
“The court certifies to the Secretary of State that evidence of criminality is sufficient to support the charges under the treaty.” [de extradición] Peru and the United States,” concluded Judge Thomas Hickson of California.
Now the final decision to proceed with the extradition rests with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.
Peru in 2018 requested the extradition of Toledo, who ruled the country between 2001 and 2006.
The former president has been detained in California, USA since July 2019. In March 2020, he was placed under house arrest.
His country’s judge is investigating allegations he received a bribe of up to $31 million from Brazil’s Odebrecht in exchange for favoring this construction company in a tender for a portion of the Interoceanic Highway during his tenure.
He is also under investigation for allegations of money laundering in the case known as “Ecotiva”.
The former governor has always denied these charges, for which he faces two pre-trial detention orders and asserts that he is a victim of political persecution.
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