Peru reviews Fujimori extradition case

The Peruvian government was preparing a special session today to review its case against ex-President Alberto Fujimori before formally requesting his extradition from Chile, the government gazette reported.

Foreign Minister Oscar Maurtua was quoted in El Peruano saying an “extraordinary session” of the Cabinet was scheduled and that meetings would continue into Christmas Eve so that the formal extradition request can be presented to Chilean authorities by a January 6 deadline.

“The public can rest assured that Peru will deliver the cases,” Maurtua said. “I am sure we will make it on time.”

Fujimori was arrested last month after arriving in Chile after five years in exile in Tokyo.

He fled Peru after his decade-long government collapsed amid massive corruption scandals, and opposition MPs banned him from public office until February 2011.

The 17 criminal cases include the killing of 25 people in two death squad massacres, illegal phone tapping, diversion of state funds to the intelligence service, bribing of politicians and the transfer of €12.4m to Fujimori’s spy chief, Vladimiro Montesinos.

Fujimori has denied all the accusations, saying they’re only trying to sabotage his plans to run again for the presidency.