14.11.201720:10:00UTC+00PERU: Odebrecht Hired Kuczynski As Advisor Before His Election To Presidency

Peru's President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski was hired by Brazilian construction company Odebrecht as an advisor before becoming head of state, according to media reports quoting a testimony from former Odebrecht president Marcelo Odebrecht to Peruvian prosecutors.

Between 2001 and 2006, Kuczynski was Peru's Minister of Economy and was contrary to the construction of the South Interoceanic route. At that time, Odebrecht considered the current president a "thorn in our side," said Odebrecht, according to the newspaper El Comercio, which had access to to the executive's testimony.

Odebrecht also said that "when Kuczynski no longer held any public office, the company hired his services as a consultant in an attempt to heal wounds," the newspaper reported.

According to the Peruvian media, Odebrecht affirmed that the money to pay Kuczynski came from slush funds.