New Delhi, Nov. 28 -- Peru's Supreme Court sentenced former President Pedro Castillo to 11.5 years in prison for conspiracy to commit a rebellion in 2022, when he tried to dissolve the Congress as lawmakers prepared to impeach him.

A special panel of the highest court also banned Castillo,56, from public office for two years. He has been in custody since being arrested in December 2022.

Two of Castillo's former ministers were also sentenced to 11.5 years in prison for the same crime. One of them is ex-Prime Minister Betssy Chavez, who was granted asylum by Mexico and remains inside the Mexican embassy in Peru's capital, Lima.

The Peruvian government severed diplomatic relations with Mexico over the asylum to Chavez.

Castillo and his f...