NAN-F-19
Allegation
Lima, Feb. 8, 2017 (dpa/NAN) Peru’s Attorney General is seeking the arrest of former president Alejandro Toledo for allegedly accepting up to 20 million dollars in bribes, the report said on Wednessday.
Following Tuesday’s request, which was announced by the public prosecutors’ office on Twitter, a court must decide whether to issue an international arrest warrant for Toledo, who currently resides in France.
The scandal centres on the construction of the Interoceanic Highway from Rio de Janiero to Lima by Brazilian conglomerate Odebrecht, which have been embroiled in a number of bribery scandals across South America.
Toledo is thought to have played a deciding role in awarding Odebrecht the contract during his time in office from 2001-06.
The highway came in at a final cost of 2.1 billion dollars, soaring above the initial budget of 850 million dollars.
Investigators were still determining what caused the blaze.
However, past incidents have been blamed on faulty electrical wiring since many of the houses in the slum area have illegal connections. (dpa/NAN)
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Edited by Celine-Damilola Oyewole/Sadiya Hamza