Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Ex-Peru President Arrested in California Drunkenness Case
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
March 19, 2019

Share

SAN FRANCISCO — Former Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo, wanted in his home country in connection with Latin America’s biggest graft scandal, was arrested in California on suspicion of public intoxication and spent the night in jail before he was released Monday morning, authorities said.

“After reaching out to Peruvian officials and Interpol, we learned that the existence of charges in Peru alone does not authorize the subject’s arrest in the United States.” — San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Rosemerry Blankswade

Toledo, 72, was arrested Sunday night at a restaurant near Menlo Park, said San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Rosemerry Blankswade.

Toledo, who was Peru’s president from 2001 to 2006 and has lived in California in recent years, was released without charges Monday morning, which Blankswade said is routine for most public drunkenness arrests.

The former president is wanted in Peru where authorities have offered a $30,000 reward for his capture. Peruvian prosecutors accuse him with of taking $20 million in bribes from Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht while he served as president. He has denied wrongdoing.

Peru is seeking Toledo’s extradition from the U.S. In February 2017, then-President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski asked President Donald Trump to deport the ex-Peruvian president.

Blankswade said the international police organization Interpol had issued a “warning” to law enforcement agencies around the world to notify it if and when Toledo was arrested. But Interpol officials told officials in the sheriff’s office they had no immediate plans to extradite Toledo and he was released, she said.

“After reaching out to Peruvian officials and Interpol, we learned that the existence of charges in Peru alone does not authorize the subject’s arrest in the United States,” Blankswade said.

The Scandal Has Hit a Particularly Rough Note in Peru

She did not disclose details about what led to officers being sent to the restaurant where Toledo was arrested, and did not name the restaurant.

Interpol officials did not immediately return phone messages left with the organization’s U.S. office in Washington D.C. seeking comment.

In a statement, Peru’s foreign ministry said Toledo’s detention “has no relation with the extradition process underway, which is being handled with the utmost zeal and in coordination with various institutions.”

In a statement, Peru’s foreign ministry said Toledo’s detention “has no relation with the extradition process underway, which is being handled with the utmost zeal and in coordination with various institutions.”

Odebrecht in 2016 admitted in a plea agreement with the U.S. Justice Department to paying some $800 million in bribes to politicians throughout Latin America including $29 million.

The scandal has hit a particularly rough note in Peru, where nearly every living president is suspected or under investigation for ties to Odebrecht.

Former President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski resigned last year after opposition lawmakers revealed that his private consulting firm had previously undisclosed ties to the construction giant.

Prosecutors are also investigating ex-President Alan Garcia after revelations that bribes were made during the construction of Lima’s subway under his tenure. Former President Ollanta Humala was also briefly jailed in connection with the case.

All of Peru’s former presidents have denied wrongdoing. Toledo was a visiting scholar at Stanford University in 2017.

DON'T MISS

Jeffrey Sachs Warns of Looming US War With Iran

DON'T MISS

Cat House on the Kings Urgently Needs You to Donate Dollars and Adopt Your New Best Friend

DON'T MISS

The Surprising Sexual Politics of Nicole Kidman’s Kinky ‘Babygirl’

DON'T MISS

Why It’s Hard to Control What Gets Taught in Public Schools

DON'T MISS

FDA Approves Weight-Loss Drug to Treat Obstructive Sleep Apnea

DON'T MISS

In a Calendar Rarity, Hanukkah Starts This Year on Christmas Day

DON'T MISS

A Look at the $100 Billion in Disaster Relief in the Government Spending Bill

DON'T MISS

It’s Eggnog Season. The Boozy Beverage Dates Back to Medieval England but Remains a Holiday Hit

DON'T MISS

9-Year-Old Among 5 Killed in Christmas Market Attack in Germany

DON'T MISS

Biden Signs Bill That Averts Government Shutdown, and Brings a Close to Days of Washington Upheaval

UP NEXT

University of California Campuses Resolve Discrimination Complaints Stemming From Gaza Protests

UP NEXT

California Declared an Emergency Over Bird Flu. How Serious Is the Situation?

UP NEXT

Chinese National Charged With Acting as Beijing’s Agent in Local California Election

UP NEXT

CA Lemon Law Will Provide Car Buyers Fewer Protections in 2025

UP NEXT

FBI Raids Home of LA Deputy Mayor Following City Hall Bomb Threat Probe

UP NEXT

White House Pushes to Find American Journalist Abducted in Syria

UP NEXT

Liberal Donors Plot to Overturn Republican House Majority in 2026

UP NEXT

The ‘Murder Hornet’ Has Been Eradicated From US, Officials Say

UP NEXT

Gov. Newsom Declares State of Emergency Over Bird Flu Outbreak

UP NEXT

Troubled California Teens Gain Protections Under Law Championed by Paris Hilton

Why It’s Hard to Control What Gets Taught in Public Schools

17 hours ago

FDA Approves Weight-Loss Drug to Treat Obstructive Sleep Apnea

17 hours ago

In a Calendar Rarity, Hanukkah Starts This Year on Christmas Day

18 hours ago

A Look at the $100 Billion in Disaster Relief in the Government Spending Bill

18 hours ago

It’s Eggnog Season. The Boozy Beverage Dates Back to Medieval England but Remains a Holiday Hit

18 hours ago

9-Year-Old Among 5 Killed in Christmas Market Attack in Germany

19 hours ago

Biden Signs Bill That Averts Government Shutdown, and Brings a Close to Days of Washington Upheaval

19 hours ago

This French Bulldog Is So Fetch: Meet Toaster Strudel

21 hours ago

The Fed Expects to Cut Rates More Slowly in 2025. What That Could Mean for Mortgages, Debt and More

23 hours ago

New California Voter ID Ban Puts Conservative Cities at Odds With State

24 hours ago

Jeffrey Sachs Warns of Looming US War With Iran

In a recent interview, renowned economist Jeffrey Sachs outlined his concerns about the possibility of war with Iran, framing it as the culm...

16 hours ago

16 hours ago

Jeffrey Sachs Warns of Looming US War With Iran

16 hours ago

Cat House on the Kings Urgently Needs You to Donate Dollars and Adopt Your New Best Friend

17 hours ago

The Surprising Sexual Politics of Nicole Kidman’s Kinky ‘Babygirl’

17 hours ago

Why It’s Hard to Control What Gets Taught in Public Schools

17 hours ago

FDA Approves Weight-Loss Drug to Treat Obstructive Sleep Apnea

18 hours ago

In a Calendar Rarity, Hanukkah Starts This Year on Christmas Day

18 hours ago

A Look at the $100 Billion in Disaster Relief in the Government Spending Bill

18 hours ago

It’s Eggnog Season. The Boozy Beverage Dates Back to Medieval England but Remains a Holiday Hit

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend