According to documents made public Wednesday, Marcelo Odebrecht told a Brazilian federal court that his construction company gave the money to President Ollanta Humala’s 2011 election campaign in return for public contracts.
These include a US$ 7 billion contract for the construction of a gas pipeline.
The allegations originally came to light when Odebrecht’s former Peru chief, Jorge Barata, told prosecutors that the CEO had ordered him to make a cash donation to Humala’s campaign, El País reported.
Between 2005 and 2014, the company paid US$ 29 million to Peruvian government officials. Over this period, Odebrecht was involved in some 20 projects worth over US$ 12 billion, El País reported.
Another former Peruvian President, Alejandro Toledo Manrique, has been on the run since an arrest warrant was issued in February for accepting US$ 20 million in bribes from Odebrecht, according to Peru Reports.
Earlier this month, investigations were opened into whether Toledo’s successor, President Alan García Pérez, also took bribes in return for a contract to work on the Lima Metro.
On Tuesday, Brazil’s Supreme Court judge ordered investigations into scores of Brazilian cabinet ministers and MPs named by former Odebrecht executives.
Humala is already under investigation for money-laundering along with 13 family members and fellow Nationalist Party officials, including his wife, brother-in-law and mother-in-law, according to Peru Reports.
