LIMA, Peru (AP) — The house of ex-President Alejandro Toledo was searched for five hours on Saturday in a case involving alleged bribes from a mega construction firm under investigation in a major corruption probe in Brazil, Peruvian prosecutors said.
It's the latest development in a case that first started in Brazil but has since caught up dozens of politicians from around Latin America in a far-reaching probe.
Prosecutors said on an official government Twitter account that the evidence they gathered at Toledo's home will be evaluated by investigators.
Local television images showed investigators who are on the team looking into suspected bribes paid by the Odebrecht construction company entering Toledo's home.
Toledo, who was Peru's president from 2001-2006, on Saturday was in Paris for a meeting of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Peru's El Comercio reported that Toledo denied any wronging in the case during a Friday telephone call with the newspaper.
The firm of attorney Luciano Lopez, who previously had worked for Toledo, said it no longer represented the former president and would have no comment.
Peru's current President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, who served as economics minister during Toledo's administration, said on his Twitter account Saturday that "justice must be equal for everyone. If any commits acts of corruption, they will be sanctioned."
Kuczynski has denied any wrongdoing as well and has called for a "deep investigation" of Odebrecht for illicit activities in Peru.
In January, Odebrecht agreed to provide investigators with information about its involvement in corruption in Peru. Three officials from the administration of former President Alan Garcia (2006-2011) have been arrested thus far.
The U.S. Justice Department has said the giant Brazilian construction firm acknowledged in a plea agreement in December that it gave bribes of some $800 million to win business in 12 countries, including about $29 million to officials in Peru during the administrations of Toledo, Garcia (2006-2011) and Ollanta Humala (2011-2016).
During Toledo's administration, Odebrecht began construction on a series of highways that stretched from Peru's border with Brazil in the north to the Pacific coast in the south.
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