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Peru to Issue International Arrest Warrant For Fujimori
Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori, who abandoned his post and fled the country in November 2000, will become the subject of an international arrest warrant that will soon be issued by the Peruvian department of justice, a judicial official said Thursday.
Peruvian Assistant Attorney Luis Vargas Valdivia said the country's Supreme Procurator could order the arrest of Fujimori and charge him with failure to make an appearance in court to a third judicial summons Thursday.
Fujimori should have delivered a statement, in accordance with the penal process, which should have been submitted in response to the charge of leaving his office of the presidency illegally and without permission. Last November he submitted his resignation from Japan, where he is avoiding extradition, but it was rejected by the Peruvian parliament, which finally removed him from the president's office.
Fujimori, who fled to Japan last November during a political crisis sparked by the ex-chief of National Intelligence Service Vladimiro Montesinos, is currently facing numerous charges, but he has denied involvement in any illicit activities.
Fujimori attributed the responsibility to Montesinos, who is also a fugitive and wanted by the Peruvian authorities on charges ranging from weapons and drug smuggling to running death squads and ordering the torture of his enemies.
Japan, which does not allow the extradition of its citizens to other countries, recognized Fujimori's Japanese citizenship two months ago. The former Peruvian president was registered as a Japanese citizen by his parents at Japan's consulate in Peru.
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