Embattled ex-Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski Undergoes Heart Surgery

Peru’s former President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, who is under arrest in connection with the Odebrecht corruption scandal and has been hospitalized for heart problems, underwent emergency surgery Saturday to install a pacemaker, his brother said.

“He has come out of a fairly long operation … the doctors are happy with the results of the operation,” Miguel Kuczynski told reporters.

The 80-year-old former president was urgently hospitalized on April 16 suffering from high blood pressure, lawmaker Gilbert Violeta told RPP radio at the time.

Hospital officials said Kuczynski was suffering from ventricular tachycardia, a condition considered potentially life-threatening for someone of his age.

The former head of state was arrested earlier this month and was being held under preliminary detention, accused of money laundering.

He is one of four Peruvian ex-presidents embroiled in various corruption scandals linked to Odebrecht, alongside Ollanta Humala, Alan Garcia and Alejandro Toledo.

Garcia died in hospital on April 17 after shooting himself in the head as police were about to arrest him over the graft investigation.

Kuczynski has been accused of passing laws to favor Odebrecht when he was finance minister during Toledo’s government.

In 2018, he resigned from office over the Odebrecht scandal, the first sitting president to do so.

Odebrecht has been accused of spreading some $788 million in bribe money to a dozen countries over more than a decade to win big construction contracts.