Bangladesh, Sept. 5 -- Perus political establishment has once again been shaken by the echoes of the Odebrecht scandal, one of the largest corruption cases in Latin American history. On September 3, a Peruvian court sentenced former president Alejandro Toledo to an additional 13 years and four months in prison for money laundering and corruption, adding another chapter to a saga that has implicated nearly every recent head of state in the country. The ruling underscores both the depth of Odebrechts reach and the fragility of Perus democratic institutions, where accountability often comes long after damage has been done.

Alejandro Toledo, who governed Peru from 2001 to 2006, was once hailed as a reformist leader who had broken the mold of...