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Chilean court refuses to
release Peru's ex-president
Fujimori on bail
Chile's Supreme Court said on
Tuesday it had refused bail to
former Peruvian President
Alberto Fujimori as Peru began
to try to extradite him.
Fujimori, 67, was arrested on
Monday after arriving in
Santiagoon a private flight from
Japan. The former leader said he
was on the way to launch a
campaign for the Peruvian
elections next April. He is
being held in a school which
belongs to Chile's prison
authority.
The arrest was ordered by
Chilean Supreme Court judge
Orlando Alvarez upon the request
of the Peruvian government.
Alvarez said it is not
appropriate to release Fujimori
on bail in 60 days during which
the Chilean supreme court plans
to examine Lima's extradition
request.
The two countries have not
reached an agreement on
Fujimoli's fate. Peru pressed
for an extradition while the
Chilean government considered
certain legal procedures should
be run, which would take about
two months.
Peruvian prosecutors want to try
Fujimori on 21 charges,
including corruption,
conspiracy, and kidnapping,
torturing and murdering
political opponents. If
convicted, he could be jailed
for up to 35 years.
Analysts in Chile say Fujimori
was confident that the supreme
court would not authorize his
extradition.
Fujimori's lawyer Cesar Nakasaki
arrived in Chile from Lima on
Tuesday. The lawyer said he was
sure that the Chilean judicial
branch would be impartial.
Chilean courts would likely
block Peru's extradition
request, as they did before for
former Argentine President
Carlos Menem, said Nakasaki.
Several members of Chilean
President Ricardo Lagos'
Socialist party insisted,
however, that Fujimori should be
expelled from Chile. They
expressed concerns the case
could strain Chile's relations
with Peru further when the two
countries have disputes over
maritime borders.
Fujimori had been in exile in
Japan since fleeing Peru in 2000
after his 10-year presidency
collapsed. Tokyo had been
reluctant to hand him over to
Peru, citing Fujimori's Japanese
citizenship.
Japanese Foreign Minister Taro
Aso said Tuesday Japan wants to
be informed of Fujimori's
condition because "he has a
Japanese nationality."
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