Peru judge dismisses corruption charges against 14 former officials

A Peruvian judge has dismissed corruption charges against 14 former ministers and officials involved in the Gasoducto Sur Peruano (Southern Peruvian Gas Pipeline) case. Judge Leodan Cristóbal Ayala ruled that the prosecution failed to provide sufficient evidence to prove the crime of aggravated collusion regarding the pipeline's construction contract.

The decision terminates the criminal proceedings for former ministers of Economy, Energy and Mines, and Transport and Communications, as well as several former directors of ProInversión. While the case against these officials is closed, the legal proceedings against former President Ollanta Humala and his wife, Nadine Heredia, will continue.

Former President Humala has criticized the investigation, describing it as a “campaign of judicial persecution” and arguing that the exclusion of the officials who approved the project demonstrates a lack of evidence for any crime.