Lima 14 Jul (ANA) - 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.(ANA)

FA/ANA/14 July 2017----------