Former Peru President Alan García shot himself before the authorities could arrest him for bribery allegations. The leader received treatment at Casimiro Ulloa Hospital
in Lima where he underwent surgery for a bullet wound on his head.
Garcia is accused of accepting bribes from a Brazilian construction
company Odebrecht, claims he refuted saying he was a victim of political
persecution. He served as president from 1985 to 1990 and from 2006 to 2011.
Investigations reveal he took bribes from Odebrecht during
his second term in office, linked to a metro line building project in the
capital.
Odebrecht has admitted paying almost $30m (£23m) in bribes
in Peru since 2004. It is a construction giant behind major infrastructure
projects around the globe, including venues for the 2016 Olympics and 2014
World Cup in its home country.
Due to pressure from ant-corruption agencies, the company
admitted paying bribes in more than half of the countries in Latin America, as
well as in Angola and Mozambique, Africa in exchange for lucrative building
contracts.