Peru’s political establishment has once again been shaken by the echoes of the Odebrecht scandal, one of the largest corruption cases in Latin American history. On September 3, a Peruvian court sentenced former president Alejandro Toledo to an additional 13 years and four months in prison for money laundering and corruption, adding another chapter to a saga that has implicated nearly every recent head of state in the country. The ruling underscores both the depth of Odebrecht’s reach and the fragility of Peru’s democratic institutions, where accountability often comes long after damage has been done.

Alejandro Toledo, who governed Peru from 2001 to 2006, was once hailed as a reformist leader who had broken the mold of old-guard politics. His rise from humble beginnings as a shoeshine boy to the presidency was celebrated internationally as a symbol of social mobility in a country marked by stark inequalities. Yet nearly two decades later, his name has become synonymous with betrayal and greed.

The court found Toledo guilty of laundering bribe money from the Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht through offshore accounts, specifically an entity in Costa Rica, before using the funds to purchase high-value real estate in Peru. The ruling makes clear that Toledo actively sought to obscure the illicit origins of the money while enriching himself with luxury assets.

This sentence will run concurrently with the 20-year prison term he received last year after being convicted of taking $35 million in bribes tied to Odebrecht’s contracts for building the Interoceanic Highway. That massive infrastructure project, which was supposed to improve trade and connectivity in South America, became one of the most visible symbols of how public works were weaponized for private gain.

Toledo is hardly alone in facing the consequences of Odebrecht’s corruption machine. His conviction comes amid a broader pattern in which nearly every modern........

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