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LIMA (Reuters) – Peruvian opposition leader Keiko Fujimori, daughter of former autocrat Alberto Fujimori, was arrested on Wednesday as part of a massive investigation into the financing of the campaign. the country's most powerful conservative movement.
Keiko Fujimori, daughter of former President Alberto Fujimori and leader of the opposition in Peru, is being tried by a court following the conviction of a judge at his detention in Lima, Peru, October 10, 2018. Courtesy Courthouse / Document distributed by REUTERS
The arrest comes a week after the judge overturned the pardon of Keiko's father, a right-wing populist who had led Peru with an iron fist from 1990 to 2000 and was later jailed for crimes against human rights. 'man.
"This is what is called political persecution," said Keiko, 43, in a handwritten letter posted on her Twitter account. "I was detained without any legal basis."
Keiko has led his father's conservative movement since he fled the country in 2000 before resigning from the fax presidency of the home country of his family, Japan.
The arrest could give centrist President Martin Vizcarra a stronger hand in his work with Congress, controlled by the People's Party, Keiko's party. But the renewed escalation of political tensions in one of Latin America's most stable economies could also provoke counter-attacks by Keiko's allies.
Prosecutors say Keiko allegedly led a criminal group in his party that allegedly took $ 1.2 million in illegal funds from Brazilian automaker Odebrecht [ODBES.UL] for his candidacy for the 2011 presidential election, according to the resolution authorizing his arrest.
Keiko and his party denied taking money from Odebrecht.
The company is at the center of the biggest corruption scandal in Latin America since recognizing in a 2016 leniency contract that it has bought officials in a dozen countries, including Peru. Earlier this year, former Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski resigned following a scandal linked to Odebrecht.
Brazil, where the scandal erupted for the first time, experienced political upheavals similar to those of Peru and saw Sunday the anger of the voters seize the scandal that drove the presidential candidate of the far right Jair Bolsonaro to participate in a second round. "IT IS WHAT IT HAS ARRIVED?"
Keiko, who was Peru's "first lady" at age 19 after her parents' divorce, was shown on television on Wednesday in a car with handcuffs after being arrested.
A graduate of Columbia Business School, she ran for the presidency twice but was narrowly defeated by Ollanta Humala, a leftist party, in 2011 and former Wall Street banker Kuczynski in 2016.
The arrest was requested by José Domingo, a money laundering prosecutor, who survived a recent upheaval by the prosecutor's office. The office did not comment on the arrest.
Fujimori will be detained for ten days, along with 19 other people, including two former government ministers of his father, according to his lawyer, Giuliana Loza.
The People's Force called the arrest a "coup d'etat" aimed at weakening the power of Congress.
"The Fujimorista community has the right to make their voices heard and say, 'What on earth is going on?' "Said the deputy and spokesman of the Popular Force, Miguel Torres.
Dozens of Keiko supporters gathered in front of the prosecutor's office to show their support, chanting "freedom for Fujimori". However, no significant event has been reported.
Alberto Fujimori was sentenced to 25 years in prison for ordering death squads who massacred civilians as part of a counter-insurgency campaign. He was later found guilty of corruption.
His supporters consider him a misunderstood hero who ended years of economic crisis by canceling a leftist insurgency. "They will not stop our political movement," said Keiko in his letter.
Report by Maria Cervantes and Mitra Taj, additional report by Marco Aquino; edited by Ross Colvin and Rosalba O & # 39; Brien
