Peruvian court drops association‑illicit charge against ex‑president Ollanta Humala in Gasoducto case

A judge of Peru's Supreme Court, Leodán Cristóbal Ayala, declared the exception of improcedencia of action filed by the defence of former minister Luis Miguel Castilla to be well‑founded and ordered the archiving of the accusation of association illicit against former president Ollanta Humala, his wife Nadine Heredia and four former ministers in the Gasoducto Sur Peruano scandal. The ruling lifted all personal precautionary measures previously imposed on the accused and applied the retroactive benefit of Law No. 32108, which raised the minimum penalty for organization‑crime offences to six years, rendering the alleged association‑illicit charge legally insufficient.

The decision does not end the investigation: the case continues with the charge of aggravated collusion, which will be examined at a control hearing scheduled for 6 July. The court also maintained the civil phase of the process to determine any reparations the State may claim. Humala remains incarcerated in Barbadillo prison serving a 15‑year sentence for money‑laundering, and Heredia continues to reside in Brazil where she was granted political asylum.