Image copyright Reuters Image caption Ollanta Humala and his wife, Nadine Heredia, at the Nationalist Party HQ in Lima on Thursday

The former president of Peru, Ollanta Humala, and his wife, Nadine Heredia, have turned themselves in after a judge ordered that they be placed in pre-trial detention.

They face 18 months of detention while money-laundering charges are prepared.

The accusations stem from Brazil's expansive anti-corruption probe, known as Operation Car Wash.

The couple, who co-founded the left-wing Peruvian Nationalist Party, have denied the charges.

Mr Humala tweeted: "This [detention] confirms an abuse of power, which we will face in defence of our rights and the rights of all."

Peru's prosecutor's office made the request on Tuesday, and a judge ruled in its favour on Thursday.

The couple have been under investigation for three years for allegedly accepting money from Brazilian construction company Odebrecht to bankroll Mr Humala's election campaigns.

He is also accused of taking money from late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavéz.

Prosecutor Germán Juaréz accused Mr Humala of "morally wounding society" by running on a campaign that used "illicit money".

The prosecution also said it feared the pair would flee the country unless they were jailed.

Earlier this year, the same judge, Richard Concepción, ordered the pre-trial detention of another of Peru's former presidents, Alejandro Toledo, over bribery allegations, but he refused to turn himself in. He is now believed to be in the United States.

Mr Humala ruled Peru from 2011 to 2016.

He was an ally of former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who this week was sentenced to nine and a half years in prison for corruption, also resulting from Operation Car Wash.

The Brazilian investigations have unearthed what is dubbed as the biggest national corruption scandal of all time, leading to allegations against many of the continent's most famous politicians.

Former presidents Ricardo Martinelli, from Panama, and Mauricio Funes, from El Salvador, are among those who have also been accused of benefiting from bribes.

Brazil's current president, Michel Temer, is currently waiting to hear if a bribery case against him will get to the country's Supreme Court.</s>Peru judge orders 18 months in jail for former President Humala, wife

Lima, Jul 13 (EFE).- A judge on Thursday ordered former Peruvian President Ollanta Humala and his wife Nadine Heredia to serve 18 months in preventative custody ahead of a trial on charges that he received funds from Brazilian construction company Odebrecht during his successful 2011 election campaign.

Judge Richard Concepcion Carhuancho accepted the Prosecutor’s request to detain Humala and Heredia, who are being investigated on corruption and money laundering charges.

Shortly after the ruling, the couple was seen driving to the courtroom to appear before the judge.

During the hearing, the judge said that “there are well-founded indications” that Humala and Heredia were guilty of money laundering.

Concepcion said that it was “no longer possible to speak of a simple probability. Now it is possible to speak of a high degree of probability” that Humala received money “from illicit sources during the 2006 and 2011 electoral campaigns”.

The judge added that the prosecutor’s testimony led him to believe that Humala and his wife had received money from Venezuela and Brazil, and that it was likely that they had disguised those funds as contributions to the election campaigns.</s>Former Peruvian President Ollanta Humala and his wife were taken into custody after a judge ordered them held during an investigation into money laundering and conspiracy accusations tied to the scandal- tainted Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht. Soon after the judge issued his order last night, Humala and his wife, Nadine Heredia, were driven to the courthouse under a heavy police escort. There was no immediate word on where they would be held. Prosecutors filed a petition early in the week asking for preventative detention, arguing the couple might flee Peru to evade justice. Judge Richard Concepcion ordered them held for up to 18 months while they are investigated. The former president has denied the allegations, which arose from testimony by the former head of Odebrecht saying he illegally contributed USD 3 million to Humala’s 2011 presidential campaign. The couple is also accused of taking undeclared funds from the late Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez during a previous, unsuccessful presidential bid. Humala, who finished his term in 2016, never declared the contributions and prosecutors argue that he and his wife conspired to hide them for personal gain. Humala and his wife didn’t attend the hearing, but he has said he looks forward to defending himself. As the couple headed to the courthouse, Humala said in a Tweet: “This confirms the abuse of power which we will confront in defence of our rights and those of everyone.”

 Before the ruling, he said there was no need for detention.

“We’re staying here, we’ve even handed over our passports,” Humala told reporters who had been gathered outside his home for three days. “In every moment we’ve shown our roots and good will. But the prosecutor sees everything we do in the opposite light. I think he’s been poisoned.” The same judge previously ordered the arrest of another former Peruvian president, Alejandro Toledo, for related charges. Toledo is in the US fighting attempts by Peruvian authorities to have him deported to answer the charges. Authorities across Latin America have been moving to charge officials accused of taking some USD 800 million in bribes from Odebrecht. The company acknowledged the bribes when it signed a plea agreement in December with the US Justice Department.

The bribes include some USD 29 million paid in Peru for projects built during the administrations of Toledo, Humala and former President Alan Garcia. The same scandal has ensnared former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who was convicted Wednesday and sentenced to almost 10 years in jail for taking gifts from another Brazilian builder that along with Odebrecht paid bribes to politicians in exchange for government contracts. Silva denies the accusation and will remain free while he appeals what he says are politically motivated charges.</s>Peru's former President Ollanta Humala and former first lady Nadine Heredia leave the Nationalist Party headquarters in Lima, Peru, July 13, 2017.

LIMA (Reuters) - Peru's former President Ollanta Humala and his wife turned themselves in to authorities late on Thursday after a judge ordered them to spend up to 18 months in jail while prosecutors prepare charges against them for alleged money laundering.

The ruling by Judge Richard Concepcion, which triggered jeers from the couple's supporters during a public hearing that stretched over two days, marked the second time he has mandated jail time for an ex-president since a massive graft scandal in neighboring Brazil rippled into Peru.

Prosecutor German Juarez cited testimony from former executives of Brazilian builder Odebrecht - at the center of the graft scandal - to accuse Humala and his wife, Nadine Heredia, of taking $3 million that allegedly stems from corruption.Juarez also accused the couple of taking illegally-obtained cash from late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

"Here's a president who rose to the presidency and governed us with an electoral campaign built on illicit money. That’s serious because it morally wounds society," Juarez said.

Humala, a mild-mannered former military officer who governed Peru from 2011 to 2016, turned himself in with Heredia, the co-founder of his nationalist party, immediately after the ruling. Both denied wrongdoing and called their pre-trial detention unfair.

"This confirms abuse of power, which we will face in defense of our rights and the rights of all," Humala said on social network Twitter, as television showed images of the couple walking into a building of holding cells, escorted by police.

The ruling came a day after former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was sentenced to nearly 10 years in prison for graft and dealt a further blow to the left in Latin America. Unlike Humala, Lula will remain free on appeal.

Humala recast himself as a more moderate leftist like Lula to win the 2011 election, following an unsuccessful 2006 presidential bid as an ally of Chavez.

He ended his five-year term with low approval ratings last year, despite backing private investment and starting social programs for the poor.

Humala's downfall jolted Peru's political system, though he is not expected to run for office again. Rightwing groups celebrated his downfall, while leftists urged prosecutors to investigate Odebrecht's links to conservative politicians.

Centrist ex-president Alejandro Toledo, believed to be in the United States, refused to turn himself in this year, after Concepcion ordered him jailed before a trial over allegations of having taken a $20-million bribe from Odebrecht.

Toledo and Humala rose to power on the support of those who once believed they would counter the graft and autocratic rule of the 1990-2000 government of then president Alberto Fujimori.

President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski has said he might pardon the rightwing Fujimori, who is now serving a 25-year sentence for human rights violations and corruption, in a quest for better ties with Fujimori's supporters in Congress.</s>LIMA, July 13 (Reuters) - A Peruvian judge on Thursday ordered the Andean nation's former President Ollanta Humala and his wife Nadine Heredia to be jailed for up to 18 months while prosecutors prepare formal money laundering charges against them.

Judge Richard Concepcion ruled in favor of a request by prosecutor German Juarez, who argued Humala and Heredia should be jailed before trial to prevent them from fleeing or interfering with his nearly three-year investigation. (Reporting by Mitra Taj; Editing by Sandra Maler)</s>Judge orders Humala and his wife, Nadine Heredia, be held for up to 18 months while they are investigated for graft.

Peru's former president and his wife have been taken into custody after a judge ordered them detained while prosecutors prepare charges against them for alleged money laundering.

Soon after the judge issued his order on Thursday night, Ollanta Humala and Nadine Heredia were driven to the courthouse under a heavy police escort.

Judge Richard Concepcion ordered them held for up to 18 months while they are investigated.

The ruling marked the second time that the judge has mandated jail time for an ex-president since a massive graft scandal in neighbouring Brazil rippled into Peru.

Prosecutor German Juarez cited testimony from former executives of Brazilian builder Odebrecht to accuse the couple of taking $3m in illegal campaign funds during the 2011 presidential election.

READ MORE: The scandal and tragedy of Lula's corruption conviction

Juarez also accused the pair of taking undeclared funds from the late Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez during a previous, unsuccessful presidential bid.

"Here's a president who rose to the presidency and governed us with an electoral campaign built on illicit money. That's serious because it morally wounds society," Juarez said.

Humala, a former military officer who led Peru from 2011 to 2016, turned himself in with Heredia, the co-founder of his nationalist party, immediately after the ruling. Both denied wrongdoing and called their pre-trial detention unfair.

As they headed to the courthouse, Humala said in a Tweet: "This confirms the abuse of power which we will confront in defense of our rights and those of everyone."

Prosecutors filed the petition for the couple's detention earlier in the week, arguing they might flee Peru to evade justice.

In February, Judge Concepcion had ordered the arrest of another former Peruvian president, Alejandro Toledo, for related charges. Toledo is in the US fighting attempts by Peruvian authorities to have him deported to answer the charges.

Authorities across Latin America have been moving to charge officials accused of taking some $800m in bribes from Odebrecht. The company acknowledged the bribes when it signed a plea agreement in December with the US Justice Department.

The bribes include some $29m paid in Peru for projects built during the administrations of Toledo, Humala and former President Alan Garcia.

The same scandal has ensnared former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who was convicted on Wednesday and sentenced to almost 10 years in jail for taking gifts from another Brazilian builder that along with Odebrecht paid bribes to politicians in exchange for government contracts.

Silva denies the accusation and will remain free while he appeals what he says are politically motivated charges.</s>Peru’s former president Ollanta Humala is escorted by police as he arrives at the Justice Palace to be held temporarily before being moved to a prison in Lima July 13, 2017. — Reuters picLIMA, July 14 — A Peruvian judge has ordered ex-president Ollanta Humala and his wife Nadine Heredia held in pre-trial detention for allegedly accepting illegal campaign donations from Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht.

Humala and Heredia, who followed the televised 21-hour marathon hearing from home, surrendered to the judge yesterday one hour after the ruling.

Judge Richard Concepcion Carhuancho ordered 18 months of pre-trial detention for the couple “for the crime of money laundering against the interest of the state.”

Humala, president 2011-2016, said the ruling “is a confirmation of abuse of power,” vowing on Twitter to face it head-on “in defence of our rights.”

Defence attorneys said the couple would immediately file an appeal.

Grupo Odebrecht, Latin America’s largest construction conglomerate, came under scrutiny during the probe of a massive pay-to-play scheme at Brazil’s state oil company Petrobras that has tarnished the names of Brazil’s top politicians and business executives.

The fallout spread across Latin America when Odebrecht executives admitted in plea bargains that a secret company bribery department systematically paid multi-million-dollar bribes to win public works contracts in 12 countries in the region.

The Brazilian construction giant admitted to paying US$29 million (RM124.4 million) in bribes in Peru to win government building contracts between 2005 and 2014 — a time period that also includes the presidencies of Alejandro Toledo and Alan Garcia.

Toledo — president from 2001-2006 — is currently in the United States in defiance of an 18-month pre-trial detention order for allegedly receiving US$20 million in Odebrecht bribes.

One of the main prosecution claims is that Humala and Heredia accepted US$3 million from Odebrecht for the 2011 presidential campaign. Humala denies the charge, though he says that Peruvian law does not forbid foreign campaign contributions.

The prosecution also claims that Humala accepted contributions from Venezuela during his failed 2006 presidential bid. — AFP</s>LIMA, Peru (AP) - A Peruvian judge has ordered the arrest of former President Ollanta Humala and his wife as they face money laundering and conspiracy charges tied to a construction scandal involving Brazilian company Odebrecht.

The ruling Thursday night authorizing 18 months of detention for Humala and wife Nadine Heredia came after prosecutors argued the couple could flee Peru to evade justice.

The same judge previously ordered the arrest of another former Peruvian president, Alejandro Toledo, for related charges. Toledo is in the U.S. fighting attempts by Peruvian authorities to have him deported to answer the charges.

Peru's former President Ollanta Humala and his wife Nadine Heredia stop to talk with journalists as they leave the headquarters of Peru's National Party where they met with their lawyers, in Lima, Thursday, July 13, 2017. Prosecutors in Peru have requested the arrest of the former leader who governed Peru between 2011 and 2016 and his wife on money laundering and conspiracy charges tied to a corruption scandal involving Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Authorities across Latin America have been moving to charge officials accused of taking some $800 million in bribes from Odebrecht. The giant construction company acknowledged the bribes when it signed a plea agreement in December with the U.S. Justice Department.

The bribes include some $29 million paid in Peru for projects built during the administrations of Toledo, Humala and former President Alan Garcia.

A woman protests against former president Ollanta Humala, outside the courtroom where prosecutor German Juarez asked that Humala and his wife Nadine Heredia be placed under arrest, in Lima, Peru, Wednesday, June 12, 2017. The sign she holds reads in Spanish "Prison for Ollanta, 'Capt. Carlos,' corrupt and murderer of Madre Mia," referring to Humala's stint as an army officer in the Madre Mia region of the country. Prosecutors in Peru have requested the arrest of former President Humala who governed Peru between 2011 and 2016 and his wife on money laundering and conspiracy charges tied to a corruption scandal involving Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

Prosecutor German Juarez, center, arrives to court, where he asked that former president Ollanta Humala and his wife Nadine Heredia, be placed under arrest, in Lima, Peru, Wednesday, June 12, 2017. Prosecutors in Peru have requested the arrest of former President Humala who governed Peru between 2011 and 2016 and his wife Nadine Heredia on money laundering and conspiracy charges tied to a corruption scandal involving Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

A woman, holding her dog, watches from her window the scene where Peru's former President Ollanta Humala and his wife Nadine Heredia leave the headquarters of Peru's National Party where they met with their lawyers, in Lima, Thursday, July 13, 2017. Prosecutors in Peru have requested the arrest of the former leader who governed Peru between 2011 and 2016 and his wife on money laundering and conspiracy charges tied to a corruption scandal involving Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)</s>LIMA, Peru (AP) - The latest on a corruption investigation in Peru involving former President Ollanta Humana (all times local):

Former Peruvian President Ollanta Humala and his wife have arrived as the courthouse in Lima and turned themselves in following a judge's ruling that they should be jailed while they are investigated over allegations of corruption.

A woman protests against former president Ollanta Humala, outside the courtroom where prosecutor German Juarez asked that Humala and his wife Nadine Heredia be placed under arrest, in Lima, Peru, Wednesday, June 12, 2017. The sign she holds reads in Spanish "Prison for Ollanta, 'Capt. Carlos,' corrupt and murderer of Madre Mia," referring to Humala's stint as an army officer in the Madre Mia region of the country. Prosecutors in Peru have requested the arrest of former President Humala who governed Peru between 2011 and 2016 and his wife on money laundering and conspiracy charges tied to a corruption scandal involving Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

The couple didn't attend the hearing Thursday evening at which the judge ordered 18 months of preventative detention during the investigation. They have been accused of money laundering and conspiracy relating to a bribery scandal involving Brazilian builder Odebrecht.

Humala has denied the claims, calling them baseless.

There was no immediate comment from authorities on where the couple will be held.

They drove to the courthouse accompanied by a heavy police escort.

Former Peruvian President Ollanta Humala and his wife have left their home after a judge ruled they should be jailed while they are investigated over allegations of corruption. They drove to the courthouse accompanied by a heavy police escort.

The couple didn't attend the hearing Thursday night at which a judge ordered 18 months of preventative detention during the investigation.

They have been accused of money laundering and conspiracy relating to a bribery scandal involving Brazilian builder Odebrecht.

Humala has denied the claims, calling them baseless. As he left home, he said on Twitter: "This confirms the abuse of power which we will confront in defense of our rights and those of everyone."

A Peruvian judge has ordered the arrest of former President Ollanta Humala and his wife as they face accusation of money laundering and conspiracy tied to a construction scandal involving Brazilian company Odebrecht.

The ruling Thursday night authorizing 18 months of preventative detention for Humala and wife Nadine Heredia while they are investigated came after prosecutors argued the couple could flee Peru to evade justice.

The same judge previously ordered the arrest of another former Peruvian president, Alejandro Toledo, for related charges. Toledo is in the U.S. fighting attempts by Peruvian authorities to have him deported to answer the charges.

Humala has insisted he has no intention of fleeing the country and says he looks forward to defending himself against what he calls baseless charges.</s>LIMA (Reuters) - A Peruvian judge ordered the Andean nation's former President Ollanta Humala and his wife Nadine Heredia to be jailed for up to 18 months on Thursday while prosecutors prepare formal money laundering charges against them.

Judge Richard Concepcion ruled in favor of a request by prosecutor German Juarez, who argued Humala and Heredia should be jailed before a trial to prevent them from fleeing or interfering with his nearly three-year investigation.

"Their immediate capture internationally is ordered," Concepcion said as he handed down his decision amid jeers in the courtroom.

Humala and Heredia deny wrongdoing but were on their way to turning themselves into authorities, their lawyers told reporters.

"This confirms the abuse of power, which we will face in defense of our rights and the rights of all," Humala said on Twitter.

Juarez accuses Humala and Heredia of taking illegally obtained funds from late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Brazilian construction companies Odebrecht SA and OAS SA that were allegedly used in Humala's campaigns and for personal enrichment.

Concepcion's ruling against the couple came a day after former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was sentenced to nearly 10 years in prison for corruption and is a further blow to the political left in the region.

Humala ran an unsuccessful presidential bid in 2006 as an ally of Chavez before winning the 2011 election when he recast himself as a more moderate leftist like Lula.

Juarez said the money from Odebrecht and OAS was the product of corruption and the funds from Venezuela were pilfered from that country's treasury.

"Here's a president who rose to the presidency and governed us with an electoral campaign built on illicit money. That’s serious," Juarez told Concepcion.

The ruling marked the second time that a former Peruvian president has been ordered behind bars since Odebrecht acknowledged in a plea deal with U.S. and Brazilian prosecutors in December that it paid bribes across Latin America over a decade-long period.

Peru's centrist former President Alejandro Toledo, believed to be in the United States, has denied wrongdoing and refused to turn himself in since Concepcion ordered him to be jailed for up to 18 months before a graft trial.

Odebrecht's former Peruvian director testified to paying Toledo a $20 million bribe in exchange for a lucrative contract and said he sent Humala $3 million on orders from the Workers Party of Brazil, according to prosecutors.

Toledo and Humala rose to power with the support of many Peruvians who once saw them as an antidote to the graft and autocratic style in the 1990-2000 right-wing government of ex-president Alberto Fujimori, who has been serving a 25-year sentence for human rights violations and graft since 2007.
A court of Lima orders 18 months of pre-trial imprisonment for former president Ollanta Humala and his wife Nadine Heredia for alleged money laundering. Both have turned themselves in.