Peruvian Judge Richard Concepcion on Thursday ordered the arrest [press release, in Spanish] of former president Alejandro Toledo for his alleged involvement with a bribery scandal involving the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht SA [official website]. Concepcion ordered Toledo to spend up to 18 months in preventative prison while prosecutors investigate his alleged involvement in taking $20 million in bribes Odebrecht SA supposedly gave him to gain permission to construct a highway connecting Brazil and the Peruvian coast. Because Toldeo was not present at the hearing, Concepcion said he will petition Interpol to find Toledo’s location and affect his capture.

In the last several years Peru has been struggling with corruption [US export country guide] involving their presidents and leaders. Earlier this week Peruvian Attorney General Pablo Sanchez sought Toledo’s arrest [JURIST report] for laundering of assets and influence trafficking. Toledo was elected President in 2001 and was the country’s first native president. His administration was marked with allegations of voter fraud and indictments against former heads of staff and agencies [BBC country profile]. In July Alberto Fujimori, Peru’s former leader who was jailed in 2007, submitted an additional request for a presidential pardon [JURIST report] after all previous petitions were denied. Fujimori is serving a 25-year sentence after being convicted in 2009 of committing human rights abuses during his 1990-2000 rule [JURIST report].