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Fujimori admits wiretap charges
Admin - Sep 29, 09
http://www.geopoliticalmonitor.com/fujimori-admits-wiretap-charges-1
September 29, 2009 (Al Jazeera) - Alberto Fujimori, a former president of Peru, has pleaded guilty to authorising illegal wiretaps, embezzlement and bribes of businessmen, politicians and
journalists.Fujimori, who has already been sentenced to 25 years' imprisonment for murder and kidnapping, admitted the charges during a court hearing in Lima, the Peruvian capital, on Monday.
Jose Pelaez, the chief prosecutor, requested an eight-year sentence to be imposed against Fujimori, which would be served concurrently with the 25-year sentence.
But Fujimori could be released earlier if his daughter, Keiko Fujimori, is elected president in 2011.
Keiko Fujimori, who is leading some opinion polls as the election approaches, has said that she will grant her father a pardon if elected.
Wiretapping claims
Pelaez charged Fujimori with ordering Vladimiro Montesinos, a former intelligence chief, to use state funds to secretly bugging 28 politicians, journalists and businessmen.
Fujimori was also accused of authorising bribes to be paid to 13 congressmen so that they would join his party, and allegedly bought off a TV station and a newspaper editorial board to support his re-election campaign in 2000.
Montesinos, who is serving a 20-year term for bribery and selling weapons to Colombian rebels, said during his own trials that he made the payments on Fujimori's behalf.
Fujimori has insisted that the he knew nothing of the money.
Repayments urged
Prosecutors say that Fujimori should pay $1.7m to the state and $1m to be split among the 28 people whose phone lines were illegally tapped.
Fujimori, who was extradited to Peru from Chile in 2007, has so far been convicted by a three-member panel of crimes against humanity for authorising military death squads, abuses of power, and of embezzlement.
In the embezzlement trial, in which he was found guilty of paying $15m in state funds to Montesinos, he admitted responsibility but said that he later repaid the money.
Cesar Nakazaki, Fujimori's lawyer, told the court on Monday that his client had not received a fair and impartial hearing.
Fujimori is appealing against his previous convictions.
Fujimori first became president in 1990 in a democratic election but became increasingly authoritarian during his government's campaign against left-wing armed groups.
