The Daily Populous Thursday November 27th, 2025 morning edition
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LIMA, Peru (AP) — A Peruvian court on Wednesday sentenced former President Martín Vizcarra to 14 years in prison after finding him guilty of taking bribes while serving as governor of a southern state.

Vizcarra was sentenced to immediate imprisonment and a nine-year ban from public office. He is expected to appeal the decision.

“This is not justice, it is revenge,” Vizcarra said on social media. “But they will not break me.”

Vizcarra alleged his sentence was retribution for “standing up” to the right-wing political groups that control Congress, among which the influence of the late former President Alberto Fujimori is particularly prominent. Vizcarra clashed with these groups when he led the South American country between 2018 and 2020 and eventually dissolved Congress.

The criminal court in the capital, Lima, concluded that Vizcarra received illegal payments from companies in exchange for awarding them contracts for two major projects — an irrigation system and the construction of a hospital — during his time as governor of Moquegua.

Authorities accused Vizcarra of receiving approximately $611,000 in bribes from construction companies.

Prosecutors had requested a 15-year prison sentence.

The former president’s brother, Mario Vizcarra, is seeking Peru’s presidency.

Former Peruvian Presidents Alejandro Toledo, Ollanta Humala and Pedro Castillo are also in prison. Fujimori was imprisoned for more than 15 years. He was released in 2023 and died the following year at the age of 86.

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

jogarz on November 27th, 2025 at 01:19 UTC »

To people who have not been following Peruvian politics at all: This is not a good thing.

Vizcarra was not perfect, but he was widely regarded as the "cleanest" President Peru has had in the past several decades, and his prosecution is considered to have a lot more to do with the far more corrupt parties leading Peru trying to crush their opposition.

fox_tamere on November 27th, 2025 at 00:46 UTC »

From the article :

> Vizcarra alleged his sentence was retribution for “standing up” to the right-wing political groups that control Congress, among which the influence of the late former President Alberto Fujimori is particularly prominent. Vizcarra clashed with these groups when he led the South American country between 2018 and 2020 and eventually dissolved Congress.

From Vizcarra's wiki page :

> Throughout his tenure, Vizcarra remained independent from political parties, promoted reforms against corruption in the legislative and judicial branches, and vowed to not run for president when his term would end in 2021.

So a right-wing controlled Congress impeached him twice and removed him from office on grounds of "moral incapacity", but :

> Vizcarra's impeachment incited street protests, as an overwhelming majority of Peruvians and political analysts believed the impeachment was unsubstantiated, with several Peruvian media outlets labeling the impeachment a "coup".

So, is it just political retribution for fighting corruption? I'd love to hear the opinions of everyday Peruvians on this.

humbleObserver on November 27th, 2025 at 00:42 UTC »

> The former president’s brother, Mario Vizcarra, is seeking Peru’s presidency.

> Former Peruvian Presidents Alejandro Toledo, Ollanta Humala and Pedro Castillo are also in prison.

Peru, you doing alright?