Peru's Constitutional Court Annuls Prison Sentence for Former President Ollanta Humala

Former Peruvian President Ollanta Humala was released from the Barbadillo prison on Thursday after the Constitutional Court annulled his entire criminal process for money laundering. Humala had been imprisoned since April 2025 and was serving a 15 year sentence for his role as a co author in a money laundering scheme involving illegal contributions from the Venezuelan government and the Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht for his 2006 and 2011 presidential campaigns. The court's decision, reached by a five to two vote, granted a habeas corpus petition filed by Humala's defense. The court ruled that the principles of legality and tipicity were violated because the facts attributed to Humala did not constitute the crime of money laundering under the laws in effect at the time the events occurred. The legal figure used for the conviction was only incorporated into Peruvian law in 2016.

Upon his release, Humala told journalists that he and his team had been victims of political and judicial persecution. While the money laundering case is closed, Humala still faces other judicial proceedings. These include a case regarding the Southern Peruvian Gas Pipeline, where he faces accusations of aggravated collusion, as well as investigations into the Construction Club and the Olmos project. He is also linked to the Madre Mia case involving crimes from the 1990s. His wife, Nadine Heredia, who was also sentenced to 15 years for money laundering, currently lives in Brazil after requesting asylum.

Outlets with a center left lean emphasized Humala's claims of political persecution and the annulment of the sentence. Outlets with a center right lean provided more detailed legal context regarding the specific court rulings and highlighted the other pending criminal investigations that Humala continues to face.