Peru to seek international mediation for Fujimori's extradition
( 2001-07-05 10:48 ) (8 )

Peru's Ambassador to Japan Luis Macchiavello said Wednesday that Peru will seek international mediation to extradite former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori back to the country.

The Peruvian diplomat told the press that a complicated element in the issue is the nationality of Fujimori since Japan, where Fujimori is presently staying, will not extradite its citizens.

Macchiavello was recalled to Peru on June 27 for consultations on the extradition of Fujimori.

Fujimori fled to Japan last November during a political crisis sparked by his close aide, former spy chief Vladimiro Montesinos.

Japan recognized Fujimori's Japanese citizenship three months ago. He has been registered as a Japanese citizen by his Japanese parents at Japan's consulate in Peru.

"We could argue that Fujimori is Peruvian and not Japanese. Then, what should we do? We could resort to international mediation to determine what nationality Fujimori has," said the Peruvian ambassador to Japan.

Fujimori is sought by the Peruvian government for numerous charges, including human rights violations, but he denied involvement in any illicit activities.

Last Tuesday, Judge Jorge Barreto asked the Interpol to issue an international arrest warrant against Aritomi Shinto, the former Peruvian president's brother-in-law and former Peruvian ambassador to Japan.

According to Barreto, Aritomi, who is currently living in Tokyo, was linked to the illegal payment of 15 million US dollars last year to Montesinos, who was captured on June 23 in Caracas, capital of Venezuela.

Montesinos, the former head of the National Intelligence Service of Peru, who had been an outlaw for almost eight months, is now facing charges of torture, murder, illegal enrichment, extortion, money laundering and drug-trafficking.