Former Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo, who is wanted in his native country in connection with Latin America’s biggest graft scandal, was arrested in California on suspicion of public intoxication and spent the night in jail before being released Monday, authorities said. (AP)
Former Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo was arrested Sunday in California on suspicion of public intoxication and was briefly detained, authorities said.
Toledo, 72, is wanted in his home country after being accused of taking $20 million in bribes from Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht while leading Peru. He has denied wrongdoing.
The former leader has been living in the San Francisco Bay Area, and Peruvian authorities have been seeking his extradition since 2017. A $30,000 reward has been offered for his capture.
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“Mr. Toledo was causing a disturbance at a local restaurant and they had asked him to leave and he refused,” San Mateo County Sheriff’s Det. Rosemerry Blankswade said.
San Mateo County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Rosemerry Blankswade said Monday that Alejandro Toledo was arrested Sunday night near a restaurant near the San Francisco Bay city of Menlo Park. (San Mateo County Sheriff's Office via AP)
Toledo was arrested near a restaurant in Menlo Park. He was released Monday morning and the charge was dropped, as is routine for suspects arrested on public drunkenness.
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The San Mateo Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that it was aware of Toledo’s troubles in his home country but said “the existence of charges in Peru alone does not authorize the subject’s arrest in the United States.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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