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A Peruvian court has sentenced former President Martin Vizcarra<\/span> to 14 years in prison for his involvement in a corruption scandal when he was the governor of the southern region of Moquegua.<\/p>\n In its decision on Wednesday, the court also penalised Vizcarra with a nine-year ban from running for office, as well as a fine.<\/p>\n He is expected to begin serving his prison sentence immediately. But Vizcarra indicated he plans to appeal the verdict against him.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is not justice, it is revenge,\u201d Vizcarra wrote on social media in response to the verdict. \u201cBut they will not break me.\u201d<\/p>\n He had been found guilty of accepting bribes worth more than $600,000 in exchange for awarding contracts for large-scale projects in Moquegua.<\/p>\n Vizcarra, currently a leader in the Peru First party, led Moquegua from 2011 to 2014 before going on to serve as president from 2018 to 2020.<\/p>\n He joins three other Peruvian ex-presidents<\/span> who are currently serving prison sentences<\/span>, a trend that experts say underscores endemic instability and corruption in the country\u2019s political system. Other former leaders are facing ongoing criminal charges.<\/p>\n Peru has had six presidents<\/span> since 2018. Some have been forced from office through impeachment, while others have stepped down due to corruption scandals.<\/p>\n Vizcarra himself came to the presidency after his predecessor, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, faced impeachment proceedings.<\/p>\n Kuczynski ultimately resigned in 2018, as scrutiny mounted over whether he tried to buy congressional votes to avoid impeachment. He also faced criticism for his participation in the bribery scandals involving the Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht.<\/p>\n Vizcarra\u2019s term lasted less than three years. He too faced impeachment over \u201cmoral incapacity\u201d, and he was ultimately deposed<\/span> by the opposition in 2020 over corruption allegations.<\/p>\n The former president has strongly denied any wrongdoing, insisting that his impeachment and prosecution were politically motivated. His older brother, Mario Vizcarra, is a likely contender in the 2026 presidential election, with Martin serving as a close adviser to the Peru First party.<\/p>\n \u201cThey have sentenced me for facing the mafioso pact,\u201d Vizcarra said in a social media post on Wednesday.<\/p>\n He added that his brother will \u201ccontinue the fight\u201d and that voters will have their turn to weigh in at the ballot box next year.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ve removed me from office. They\u2019ve barred me from holding public office. They\u2019ve expelled me from my party. And now they\u2019re throwing me in jail,\u201d Vizcarra wrote. \u201cAre they so afraid of Vizcarra?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n