Susana Villarán was Mayor of Lima between 2011 and 2014. She is the only former mayor of the Peruvian capital prosecuted over the Odebrecht scandal. She is also the only defendant in this series who publicly admitted the money she received. This piece does not follow the hearings, but the flows. It reconstructs the US$10 million she acknowledged accepting from Odebrecht and OAS. Then, the US$11.29 million that prosecutors consider laundered. Finally, the US$267.5 million that the Attorney General’s Office claims over the Rutas de Lima tolls. It also explains what part of that money is on trial and what part remains under investigation without charges.
The short answer. Susana Villarán’s money has three figures and no verdict. She herself admitted on 11 May 2019 having accepted US$10 million from Odebrecht and OAS for her 2013 and 2014 campaigns. Prosecutors raise the laundered amount to US$11.29 million and seek 29 years. The Attorney General’s Office separately claims US$267.5 million over the Rutas de Lima tolls. Villarán maintains that the contributions were not conditioned on any favour. The trial began on 23 September 2025 and remains without a verdict. The tolls case has no charges.
Who Susana Villarán is and why her case matters in October 2026
Villarán won the Lima mayoralty in 2010 with Fuerza Social. She then survived a recall referendum in 2013 and lost re-election in 2014. During her term, the addenda to the Línea Amarilla and Vías Nuevas de Lima toll contracts were signed. Behind them were Odebrecht and OAS.
Her case matters for this series for one reason. It is the only one in which the central figure was provided not by prosecutors but by the defendant herself. That public confession marks the difference between a proven fact and a disputed one. What remains in dispute is the purpose of the money. To compare with another Peruvian campaign financed by the same construction companies, Auditoría Abierta publishes the case file of Keiko Fujimori.
Timeline of Villarán’s money, decision by decision
| Date | Body | Decision | Evidence level |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 2013 | Villarán and OAS, according to Léo Pinheiro | Request for money days before the Línea Amarilla addendum | Cooperating witness testimony |
| 2013 | Odebrecht and OAS | Contributions to the anti-recall campaign | Admitted by Villarán |
| February 2014 | Lima City Hall and Rutas de Lima | «Bankability Addendum» that raised toll rates | Documented; under investigation |
| 2014 | Odebrecht and OAS | Contributions to the re-election campaign | Admitted by Villarán |
| 11 May 2019 | Villarán, on Radio Exitosa | Admits US$10 million from both construction companies | Own confession |
| 15 May 2019 | Judge Jorge Chávez Tamariz | 18 months of pre-trial detention | Precautionary measure |
| 2020 | Judiciary | Moved to house arrest in Lurín during the pandemic | Precautionary measure |
| 21 May 2021 | Judge Jorge Chávez Tamariz | Release with restrictions; refuses to extend house arrest | Final |
| 25 August 2022 | Prosecutor José Domingo Pérez | Indictment for five offences; laundering of US$11.29 million; seeks 29 years | Indictment |
| June 2023 | Prosecutors | Formalise investigation over Vías Nuevas de Lima, 36-month term | Preparatory investigation |
| 10 April 2024 | Ad Hoc Lava Jato Attorney’s Office | Seeks US$267.5 million and S/7.3 million in civil reparations | Request, no charges |
| 5 November 2024 | Judge Jorge Chávez Tamariz | Order committing the case to trial | Final |
| 23 September 2025 | Judiciary | Trial opens against 21 defendants | Ongoing |
| October 2025 | Defence and prosecution | Ask to apply or await the Constitutional Court’s criterion on Keiko Fujimori | Pending |
The US$10 million: the confession of 11 May 2019
On 11 May 2019, Villarán spoke on Radio Exitosa. She acknowledged that she had always known about the contributions from Odebrecht and OAS, according to El Comercio. They were for the 2013 campaign against her recall and for the 2014 re-election campaign. «José Miguel Castro and I took the decision to seek and accept the campaign funds», she said. The figure she admitted was US$10 million. The confession came hours after it became known that someone close to her had become a cooperating witness.
For its part, the OAS breakdown was given by its former president, Léo Pinheiro, before Peruvian prosecutors, according to RPP. US$3 million for the anti-recall campaign and US$4 million for re-election, at the request of city manager José Miguel Castro. According to the same source, Villarán allegedly requested that money days before the addendum of February 2013. That addendum extended the Línea Amarilla toll concession. She maintains that the contributions were never conditioned on a favour and that she accepted them to «guarantee governability».
The US$11.29 million: what prosecutors say she laundered
On 25 August 2022, prosecutor José Domingo Pérez filed the indictment and sought 29 years in prison, according to El Comercio. He charges her with five offences: criminal conspiracy, aggravated collusion, aggravated money laundering, generic falsehood and false statement in administrative proceedings. The amount of aggravated laundering comes to US$11.29 million, according to El Comercio. The indictment runs to more than 144 volumes and 27,000 pages. It attributes 12 criminal acts to 20 individuals, 10 legal entities and 16 civil third parties, according to Infobae. The defendants include Odebrecht, OAS, Lamsac, Rutas de Lima and JW Thompson, according to Diario Correo. José Miguel Castro, the manager who negotiated the contributions, died before the trial.
Then, the indictment review began on 8 May 2023 and lasted more than a year. The defence tried to have the case dismissed without trial and failed. On 5 November 2024, Judge Jorge Chávez Tamariz issued the order committing the case to trial. The trial opened on 23 September 2025, according to Infobae. Villarán declared: «I have waited many years for the truth to come out. I ask for justice, respect, impartiality». Her defence maintains that no witness or document points to her as a direct perpetrator, according to Perú21.
The US$267 million: the trail of the tolls
Finally, the third flow is not money she received, but money the State says it lost. The Vías Nuevas de Lima project was awarded to Rutas de Lima, a company of which Odebrecht was part. In June 2023, prosecutors formalised an investigation against Villarán and 17 other people, according to El Comercio. The charges: aggravated collusion and, alternatively, incompatible negotiation. The term is 36 months. She is accused of favouring the concessionaire, in particular with the «Bankability Addendum» of February 2014, which raised toll rates.
On 10 April 2024, the Ad Hoc Lava Jato Attorney’s Office sought civil reparations of US$267.5 million and S/7.3 million, according to El Comercio and Infobae. It accuses her of colluding with Jorge Barata and with representatives of Rutas de Lima. Villarán maintains there was «nothing dark or illicit» in the project, according to Gestión. It is the highest figure in the file and the one with the least judicial progress. There are no charges and no verdict.
Detention: 18 months ordered, close to a year served
On 15 May 2019, four days after the confession, Judge Jorge Chávez Tamariz ordered 18 months of pre-trial detention. Prosecutors had asked for 36. The judge found that this was enough to complete the investigation and prevent interference with witnesses. After close to a year of actual detention, Villarán was moved to house arrest in Lurín during the pandemic, according to El Comercio. On 21 May 2021, the same judge refused to extend the house arrest and granted her release with restrictions.
The Constitutional Court’s turn
In October 2025, the Constitutional Court ruled in favour of Keiko Fujimori in the Cócteles case. Villarán’s lawyer, Merly Edquén, then asked for the same criterion to be applied and the laundering proceedings annulled, according to Infobae and RPP. On 20 October, prosecutor Pérez himself asked to suspend the trial until the scope of the ruling was clarified, according to LP Derecho. Justice Gustavo Gutiérrez Ticse clarified that the Fujimori ruling is not binding precedent. The sources consulted do not record what the court decided. To see how that criterion freed another defendant, Bajo Lupa Digital publishes the money trail of Ollanta Humala.
What Villarán says and what her accusers say
Villarán admits the money and denies the crime. In her 15 statements before prosecutors she did not acknowledge having committed any offence, according to Perú21. She maintains that she accepted the contributions for governability and without conditions. Prosecutors, by contrast, assert that the money was the price of the toll addenda. They maintain that it was laundered through the campaign. The Attorney General’s Office puts the damage to the State at US$267.5 million. Léo Pinheiro, of OAS, testified that the request for money came days before an addendum.
How to read this case file
Three keys. First: the US$10 million is a fact admitted by Villarán herself, not an accusation. Second: the gap to the prosecutors’ US$11.29 million and the classification as laundering is what is being argued at trial. Third: the US$267.5 million of the tolls is a reparations request in an investigation without charges, not an established debt. No court has handed down a verdict in either case.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
How much money did Susana Villarán admit receiving?
US$10 million from Odebrecht and OAS for the 2013 campaign against her recall and the 2014 re-election campaign. She acknowledged it on 11 May 2019 on Radio Exitosa, according to El Comercio. She maintains that the contributions were not conditioned on any favour.
How much do prosecutors say Villarán laundered?
US$11.29 million, according to the indictment by prosecutor José Domingo Pérez of 25 August 2022. He charges her with aggravated money laundering, criminal conspiracy, aggravated collusion, generic falsehood and false statement, and seeks 29 years in prison.
What is the US$267 million of Rutas de Lima?
The civil reparations that the Ad Hoc Lava Jato Attorney’s Office requested on 10 April 2024 in the Vías Nuevas de Lima case, plus S/7.3 million. It refers to the damage attributed to the toll addenda, in particular the «Bankability Addendum» of February 2014. That case is under investigation, without charges.
How much did OAS contribute to Villarán’s campaigns?
US$3 million for the anti-recall campaign and US$4 million for re-election, according to the testimony of OAS’s former president, Léo Pinheiro, before Peruvian prosecutors. The money was allegedly requested days before the Línea Amarilla addendum of February 2013.
Is Villarán in prison?
No. She served close to a year of pre-trial detention from May 2019. She was then moved to house arrest during the pandemic. She has been released with restrictions since 21 May 2021.
When did the trial against Villarán begin?
On 23 September 2025, more than six years after her confession, against her and 20 other defendants. As of 8 October 2026 there is no verdict.
Can the case be annulled like Keiko Fujimori’s?
Her defence requested it in October 2025 and the prosecutor asked to suspend the trial until the scope of the Constitutional Court’s ruling was clarified. Justice Gustavo Gutiérrez Ticse clarified that the ruling is not binding precedent. The court’s decision is not on record.
Who was José Miguel Castro?
Villarán’s city manager. According to her, he decided with her to accept the contributions. According to Léo Pinheiro, he was the one who asked OAS for the money. He died before the trial.
Sources consulted
- El Comercio: Susana Villarán admite que sabía de aportes de Odebrecht y OAS (11 May 2019)
- RPP: Susana Villarán, las claves de la investigación en su contra (2019)
- El Comercio: Susana Villarán y el No a la revocatoria, los protagonistas (2020)
- El Comercio: Susana Villarán, ¿qué falta para el juicio? (2025)
- El Comercio: Susana Villarán habría lavado más de once millones (2022)
- Infobae: Juicio a Villarán por millonarios aportes de Odebrecht y OAS (23 September 2025)
- Diario Correo: Dos meses y nada del juicio oral (2025)
- Perú21: Susana Villarán se jura inocente (2025)
- El Comercio: Fiscalía formaliza investigación preparatoria por Vías Nuevas de Lima (2023)
- El Comercio: Las razones de la procuraduría para pedir más de US$267 millones (2024)
- Infobae: Piden que Villarán y otros paguen 267 millones de dólares en reparación civil (10 April 2024)
- Gestión: Villarán, «No hay nada oscuro o ilícito en proyecto Vías Nuevas de Lima»
- Infobae: Abogada de Villarán pide que se aplique la sentencia de Keiko Fujimori (2025)
- RPP: Abogada de Villarán pide aplicar criterio del TC (2025)
- LP Derecho: Fiscalía solicita suspensión del juzgamiento (2025)
- Wikipedia: Susana Villarán
This piece records documented facts and allegations attributed to their authors. The mention of an allegation does not imply its truth, and the position of the person named is recorded in each case. Bajo Lupa Digital offers Susana Villarán space to respond and will update the text with every development. Information verified as of 8 October 2026.
Investigative Journalist and Data Specialist
Mijael Galvez Aleman is an investigative journalist specializing in the auditing of public resources, the financial analysis of government management, and data journalism in the region. His work focuses on tracking budget flows, state contracts, and regulatory backgrounds to audit the exercise of power using a methodology strictly based on official documents.
At Bajo Lupa Digital, he leads database cross-referencing and documentary verification for in-depth reports. His work ensures that each investigation is fortified by rigorous quantitative and qualitative analysis, offering readers a transparent, verifiable perspective free from political speculation.