Peru’s Former President Alan García Dead After Shooting Himself Before Arrest
Written by SOURCE on April 17, 2019
Alan García, the former president of Peru, has died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. CNN reports that police were on their way to arrest the politician on Wednesday morning, but when they arrived at his home at 6:30 a.m. with a search warrant, a loud gunshot was heard. They eventually discovered García with a wound to his head. He was taken to a hospital in Lima shortly after, and was pronounced dead hours later.
García had been accused of taking bribes from construction company Odebrecht during his time in office. He denied the claims vehemently, but Odebrecht admitted to paying approximately $30 million in bribes to the former president. García served as president from 1985 to 1990, before returning for a second term from 2006 to 2011.
Peru’s current president, Martín Vizcarra, paid his respects to García in a tweet. “Dismayed by the death of former President Alan García,” he wrote. “I send my condolences to his family and loved ones.”
Odebrecht, the company that reportedly bribed García, is one of the biggest construction companies in the world. It previously worked on the 2016 Olympics and the 2014 World Cup. Two other former presidents are embroiled in the scandal, with Ollanta Humala and Alejandro Toledo both accused of taking money from Odebrecht. Humala is currently in pre-trial detention in Peru, while Toledo is a fugitive in the U.S.
