Former Peruvian President Alan García died today. Before authorities could arrest him on corruption charges, García – who served as president from 1985 to 1990 and from 2006 to 2011 – shot himself in the head.
The 69-year-old was taken to José Casimiro Ulloa hospital in Lima, where he had three heart attacks. In a radio interview, Ricardo Pineda, his secretary, explained that police showed up at 6:30 a.m. with an arrest warrant, but García locked himself in his bedroom, according to The New York Times.
García is tied to the Odebrect scandal that has shaken up Latin America. Odebrecht, a Brazilian construction and engineering conglomerate, is accused of paying politicians $800 million in order to receive contracts for building roads, bridges, dams, and more. García was accused of taking Odebrecht’s money, so the company could win the bid to build an electric train for the Lima metro. He denied these claims. Prosecutors have also looked closely at his second term, attempting to determine whether he received campaign contributions from Odebrecht.
Last November, a judge barred him from leaving Peru for 18 months, which is when he requested asylum at the Uruguayan embassy in Lima. A month later, the Uruguayan government turned down the request.