Corruption trial against former Peruvian President gets underway
The trial against former Peruvian President Ollanta Humala, his wife Nadine Heredia, and other defendants in a money laundering case started on Monday. Humala and his wife are accused of money laundering in a scandal involving Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht. They are accused of irregular handling of funds from Odebrecht and OAS companies as well as other financial resources supplied by the Venezuelan Government of then-President Hugo Chávez. The scandal involves allegations that the Brazilian firm would have bribed officials in several Latin American countries in exchange for hefty sub-construction contracts. Former director Jorge Barata acknowledged those allegations against the highest political leaders were true. Humala is the first former leader of Peru standing trial in this case. Humala is also under investigation for money laundering cases involving funding for the electoral campaigns of 2006 and 2011. However, Humala has repeatedly denied the charges. Ol...