In brief
Former Peruvian President Pedro Castillo received an 11-year prison sentence, while former President Martín Vizcarra was sentenced to 14 years, highlighting the depth of corruption crises in the nation. Castillo faced charges for attempting to dissolve Congress, leading to his impeachment, while Vizcarra was convicted for bribe-taking during his tenure as a regional governor.
Peru's former President Pedro Castillo is among two of the South American nation's ex-leaders to be handed prison sentences in as many days.
The left-wing leader was given 11 years in jail on Thursday for attempting to disband Peru's Congress and rule by decree in 2022. The gamble failed, and he was impeached and arrested.
He was found guilty of 'conspiracy to commit rebellion' by the Supreme Court, which handed down the sentence at the same time as convicting him.
Castillo's sentence comes just a day after another former Peruvian president, Martín Vizcarra, was handed 14 years' in prison for bribe-taking while serving as a regional governor.
The centrist politician, who had championed the fight against corruption during his term in office, was found guilty of taking bribes worth more than $600,000 (£453,753) from construction companies seeking public works contracts.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court acquitted Castillo of two other charges.
Dubbed Peru's first poor president, Castillo, a former trade unionist and rural schoolteacher, won power in 2021 on a wave of frustration with conventional politics.
His arrest and impeachment sparked deadly mass protests among his working-class rural base, which were brutally repressed, resulting in at least 50 deaths.
On Thursday, dozens of Castillo's supporters gathered outside the prison to await the verdict, with sentiments still strong that he was innocent.
Vizcarra and Castillo are the latest in a series of former Peruvian presidents to be jailed for misconduct. The political climate continues to be tumultuous, with recent protests and investigations into ongoing corruption scandals shaping the nation's landscape.
