Across Latin America, former presidents are being indicted or imprisoned on a range of charges, including corruption and abuse of power. Most recently, former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was sentenced to 27 years for allegedly plotting a coup right after the 2022 presidential election, putting the region's endemic corruption and institutional fragility back under scrutiny.
Peru is a prime example. Since 2000, as many as seven presidents have stood trial on charges of corruption or human rights violations. Former President Alberto Fujimori was imprisoned for an extended period over human rights abuses, and former presidents Alejandro Toledo, Ollanta Humala, and Pedro Pablo Kuczynski were also implicated in corruption cases. Former President Alan García took his own life moments before a police arrest. Even now, four former presidents are imprisoned at Lima's Barbadillo prison, and only two former presidents, Francisco Sagasti and Valentín Paniagua, completed their terms without charges.
In Colombia, former President Álvaro Uribe was convicted on witness-tampering charges and is serving 12 years of house arrest. In Argentina, former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner was found guilty in 2022 on charges of maladministration and was barred from running for office. In Mexico, Guatemala, and El Salvador, at least five former presidents have faced criminal investigations, and in Guatemala three have received prison terms.
Ecuador is no different. Since 1996, almost every president has faced investigation, and three, including former President Rafael Correa, were convicted. Correa was sentenced to prison on bribery charges and is currently in exile in Belgium. In Bolivia, Paraguay, Panama, and Honduras as well, many former leaders have been indicted or convicted.
Against this trend, Uruguay stands out as the sole exception. Since democratization, none of its presidents has been criminally indicted or formally investigated. According to CNN, experts attribute this to a "political culture that respects public resources." In Uruguay, it is common for a Minister to commute in a private car or for lawmakers to drive themselves to the legislature. Unlike other Latin American countries, privileged treatment has not become customary. In last year's Economist Democracy Index, Uruguay was rated a "full democracy" and was the only country in South America to place in the top tier.
Experts cite pervasive corruption, distrust in institutions, and the concentration of power inherent in presidential systems as reasons former Latin American presidents frequently become entangled in legal trouble. According to Transparency International, the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) for the Americas, including Latin America, averages 42 out of 100, more than 20 points lower than the European Union. With power concentrated in presidents, leaders often find themselves at the center of corruption scandals, analysts say.
Some scholars, however, caution that we should carefully distinguish whether "corruption has actually increased, or whether it is being exposed due to democratization and greater institutional transparency." Argentine political scientist Catalina Smulovitz said, "An increase in corruption cases does not necessarily mean an expansion of corruption itself; it could be the result of society recognizing corruption as a problem and a strengthened judicial response."
Political "lawfare" between rivals is also cited as a problem. The abuse of baseless accusations erodes institutional trust, and a vicious cycle repeats in which leaders cry "political conspiracy" whenever they are at a disadvantage. For this reason, the issue cannot be seen simply as leaders' corruption alone; analysts say political instability and deficiencies in the judicial system are interacting in complex ways.
On this, CNN analyzed it as "a cross-section that reveals the structural vulnerabilities of Latin American democracy."