Prosecutors charge Peru's Sanchez with financial crimes ahead of June runoff.

Peru's public prosecutor's office has formally accused leftist presidential candidate Roberto Sanchez of financial crimes, demanding his imprisonment for five years and four months. This indictment, released Tuesday, arrived just hours after electoral officials confirmed that Sanchez is positioned to advance to the country's runoff election scheduled for June 7.

The charges, reported by El Comercio, allege that Sanchez, representing the Juntos por el Peru party, submitted false financial disclosures to the National Office of Electoral Processes regarding campaign contributions spanning 2018 to 2020. Prosecutors assert that Sanchez and his brother, William Sanchez, accepted over 280,000 Peruvian soles ($81,720) in contributions and membership fees that were never reported in official filings. Beyond the alleged concealment of funds, Sanchez faces accusations of making false statements during administrative proceedings.

The legal team behind the prosecution also seeks a permanent disqualification from holding the office of president for the Juntos por el Peru party. In response, Sanchez's attorney dismissed the accusations to local outlet RPP, stating that the party's treasurer, not Sanchez himself, was responsible for the financial filings.

A judge is expected to rule on May 27 whether the case proceeds to trial. These charges surface as vote counting from the first round of the election indicates Sanchez is moving toward a runoff against conservative rival Keiko Fujimori. With 99.76 percent of ballots tallied, Fujimori, the daughter of late former President Alberto Fujimori, holds a commanding lead with 17.17 percent of the vote. Sanchez, campaigning with the backing of jailed former President Pedro Castillo, stands at 12 percent, narrowly ahead of ultra-conservative former Lima Mayor Rafael Lopez Aliaga at 11.91 percent—a margin of roughly 15,000 votes. The final results are expected by mid-May.