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AFP
Ms. Fujimori (C) was Arrested as a Result of the Decision
A Peruvian judge has ordered opposition leader Keiko Fujimori to spend three years in prison awaiting trial for corruption.
Judge Richard Concepción said that Fujimori was very likely to flee Peru.
Fujimori was accused of bribing $ 1.2 million to Brazil's construction giant, Odebrecht, in 2011.
She denies any wrongdoing and claims that the charges are motivated by political considerations.
Judge Concepción said that there were "serious suspicions" that Ms. Fujimori was leading a "de facto criminal organization that is rooted in" her political party, the People's Force.
Earlier this year, former president Pedro Pablo Kuczynski had resigned as a result of a scandal related to the Odebrecht affair.
- Odebrecht: "The biggest case of transnational corruption in history"
- How is Peru?
Ms. Fujimori, who was in court, was arrested by the police after the judge's decision.
His lawyer is expected to appeal the verdict, AFP reported.
The 43-year-old had already spent a week in police custody earlier this month but had been released on appeal.
She lost the presidential elections in 2016 and 2011 while her Popular Force party won the most votes.
The party currently controls the Peruvian Congress.
But over the past year, major street protests have taken place against the political establishment.
Fujimori's father, former president Alberto Fujimori, aged 80, is currently serving a 25-year prison sentence for human rights violations.
