LIMA, April 19 (Xinhua) -- A Peruvian judge ordered 36 months of preventive prison for ex-President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski on Friday as authorities investigate his alleged involvement in a corruption case.

Peru's judicial authority said via its Twitter account that Kuczynski, who is currently on a 10-day detention since April 10, "is being investigated for money laundering ... being a part of a criminal organization."

Last week, Kuczynski was arrested during an ongoing investigation into Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht and its alleged bribery of government officials.

Congressman Gilbert Violeta recently said Kuczynski had been hospitalized due to a cardiac issue that resulted from the preliminary detention order.

Kuczynski has been under investigation since 2017, following revelations that Odebrecht paid him when he was minister of economy and finance under former President Alejandro Toledo, for his services as a consultant.

Toledo, in office during 2001-2006, is charged with having received 20 million U.S. dollars in bribes from Odebrecht in exchange for the contract to build the Interoceanic Highway linking Peru and Brazil. Peru is seeking the extradition of Toledo from the United States.

Kuczynski resigned from the presidency in March 2018, following the release of a video showing his allies trying to buy votes from opposition lawmakers ahead of a second impeachment vote over the corruption scandal. Enditem

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