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Fujimori appears in court

LIMA: The former Peruvian President, Alberto Fujimori, appeared on Friday before a judge in Lima to begin a series of legal processes which he will face in Peru.

A closed-door hearing was held at the Special Operations Department police base where Mr. Fujimori is imprisoned. In this trial, Mr. Fujimori is accused of ordering illegally breaking into the apartment of the wife of his former intelligence chief Vladimiro Montesinos, who is also in imprisonment. Mr. Fujimori faces a 7-year imprisonment if he is declared guilty in this case.

Mr. Fujimori (69), will face four processes for abuse of power, assassination of political opponents and corruption. The other trial against Mr. Fujimori will begin on November 26.

Mr. Fujimori faces 30 years in prison and a fine equivalent to $33 millions in the other two cases. In one of the cases Mr. Fujimori is accused of killing nine students and a professor at the Cantuta University in 1992 and of the assassination of 15 persons in 1991 at Lima’s Barrios Altos sector in 1991.

Mr. Fujimori was extradited on September 22 to Peru from Chile where he had arrived in November 2005 from his self-imposed exile in Japan.

Mr. Fujimori fled Peru amidst an acute political crisis and self exiled himself in Tokyo, Japan from where he resigned as Peru’s President on November 19, 2000. Mr. Fujimori governed Peru for 10 years from 1990 to 2000.

His lawyer, Cesar Nakazaki, told reporters outside the Lima police base where the closed-door trial is being held that the former leader was calm and answered prosecutors’ 30 questions “with clarity”. Mr. Nakazaki said he expected a verdict within three weeks. — Xinhua

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