A Peruvian court has ordered former President Martín Vizcarra to serve five months of preventive detention while prosecutors investigate allegations that he accepted bribes in exchange for public-works contracts before taking office in 2018. Judge Jorge Chávez Tamariz said the measure was necessary because the 61-year-old lacks stable employment and family ties that would guarantee his presence during the proceedings, creating both flight and obstruction risks. Vizcarra, who governed from 2018 to 2020 and has denied the accusations, becomes the fourth Peruvian head of state in recent years to be jailed pending trial, following Pedro Castillo, Ollanta Humala and Alejandro Toledo. His case underscores the country’s deepening political turmoil, which has already prompted authorities to build a special prison wing for former leaders.