Peruvian official slams
Chile's Fujimori verdict
A Peruvian official on
Sunday slammed a Chilean
verdict barring the
extradition of former
Peruvian President
Alberto Fujimori,
calling it "a shame" of
Chile's judicial power.
"The verdict is a shame,
it is very strange and
it undoubtedly cannot
compromise all of
Chile's judicial power,
which we consider
autonomous," Peru's
Extradition Unit Chief
Omar Chehade told a
Chilean website.
Chilean Judge Orlando
Alvarez on Wednesday
rejected Peru's
extradition request,
saying Peruvian
prosecutors had failed
to prove Fujimori's
involvement in death
squads and corruption
during his presidency.
Chehade said Peruvian
officials were very
upset by the court
ruling.
"Judicially speaking, it
is a weak verdict, but
we mainly feel it is a
slanted and absolutely
partial decision
favoring Fujimori,"
Chahade said.
On Thursday, Peru's
government quickly filed
an appeal to Chile's
Supreme Court against
the Alvarez verdict. The
fate of Fujimori is now
in the hands of five
Chilean judges who have
three months to decide
whether he should face
trial in Peru for the
alleged crimes.
"We will probably travel
to Santiago, whenever
Peru's Executive power
decides it is the proper
time to talk with the
supreme judges, the five
who are going to resolve
the extradition
process," Chehade said.
"We can win in the end.
We have to be able to
explain to the Chilean
judges that Alvarez has
acted against reason,"
Chehade said.
Fujimori, 68, fled to
Japan in 2000 after his
government collapsed
amid corruption
scandals.
Peru said it has proved
that Fujimori committed
bribery, misused
government funds and
sanctioned 25
death-squad killings
during his decade-long
rule that ended in 2000.
The former president
arrived unexpectedly in
Chile in November 2005
on a private flight from
Japan. He now remains
under house arrest in
the Chicureao
neighborhood on the
outskirts of Chile's
capital Santiago.
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