Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori Begins Fifth Trial for Misuse of Public Funds
Alberto Fujimori, the 75-year-old former Peruvian president, began his fifth trial for misuses of public funds last Thursday after being convicted in four previous trials, and is already serving 25 years in prison for corruption and the authorization of death squads. He appeared at the trial with tousled hair, and wore a t-shirt and sweater, which is a stark contrast to stylish suits and shined shoes that he wore to his 2009 trial for rights abuses. Also, Fujimori sat, taking his blood pressure, and his defense attorneys argued that Fujimori was in poor health -- claiming that has developed tongue cancer and other medical issues.
Fujimori served as the president of Peru from July 28, 1990 to November 17, 2000. During that time, the 47th Peruvian president of Japanese descent employed authoritarian methods when it came to ruling the country. He violated human rights, and was prosecuted for crimes against humanity in 2008. Before that, in 2000, Fujimori fled to Japan to elude scandal, and attempted to resign as president. But, his resignation was rejected by the Congress of the Republic, who wanted to impeach him. Fujimori remained an expatriate until he was arrested during a visit to Chile in November 2005.
The Grupo Colina death squad was used under his command to kill and kidnap leftist guerillas in the 1990s, which resulted in the death of 25 people. He later admitted to giving $15 million to Vladimiro Montesinos, the former intelligence service chef, from Peruvian funds. The separate sentences accumulated equal a maximum of 25 years to be served, so far. His fifth trial is still pending. And, according to the Associate Press, Fujimori faces the current charges for the misappropriation of nearly $50 million in public funds to bankroll a group of tabloids that lobbied for his re-election during his final years in office.
Wikipedia stated that Fujimori's family has asked President Ollanta Humala for a pardon because of health concerns.
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