Former Peruvian First Lady Seeks Asylum at the Brazilian Embassy After Money Laundering Conviction
- Victor Nwoko
- Apr 16
- 2 min read
Nadine Heredia, former First Lady of Peru, requested asylum at the Brazilian Embassy in Lima on the same day she and her husband, former President Ollanta Humala, were sentenced to 15 years in prison for money laundering. The Peruvian Foreign Ministry confirmed that Heredia arrived at the embassy on Tuesday morning, though it remains unclear whether she entered before or after the sentencing was officially announced by the Judiciary.
The sentencing follows a high-profile trial that focused on allegations of illicit financing during Humala’s presidential campaigns in 2006 and 2011. Prosecutors argued that Humala’s Nationalist Party received illegal contributions from both the Venezuelan government and the Brazilian construction conglomerate Odebrecht. Both Humala and Heredia had consistently denied the charges.
The court delivered its ruling three years after the trial began. Humala was present in court as the verdict was read, while Heredia did not attend the session. Immediately after the sentencing, the court ordered Humala to begin serving his prison term without delay.
Defense attorney Wilfredo Pedraza criticized the ruling, describing the decision to enforce the sentence immediately as unjustified. Pedraza announced plans to file an appeal, arguing that the court relied on presumptions rather than conclusive findings, stating, “The panel has said that the illegality of the crimes can be verified along the way – that is inadmissible. Here, in oral trial and in sentencing, affirmations must be made, no longer presumptions.”
Prosecutors initially sought 20 years of imprisonment for Humala and 26 years for Heredia. Her decision to seek asylum adds an international dimension to the case, while legal proceedings in Peru continue to unfold.
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