Peru freezes $7.7 mln in assets as part of Odebrecht probe

Peruvian authorities said on Thursday they froze $7.7 million in assets held by people, including former President Alejandro Toledo, being investigated as part of the probe into scandal-racked Brazilian builder Odebrecht SA.

The company has admitted in a settlement with U.S. and Brazilian prosecutors to paying bribes across 12 countries to win contracts. Accusations of influence peddling by Toledo, who governed from 2001 to 2006, are part of the investigation in Peru.

Eight other people were included in the freezing of assets, which was carried out to ensure payment of future fines against those found guilty of Odebrecht-related charges, said a statement issued by Peru's chief prosecutor's office.

The embargoed assets include four cars owned by Toledo, who is living in the United States.

Spokesmen for Odebrecht and Toledo could not be reached for comment.

The company is banned from participating in new infrastructure auctions in Peru while trying to negotiate leniency deals in Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela.

Argentina this week banned Odebrecht SA from bidding on public works projects for 12 months.

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)