Peru: Fujimori receives 36-month pre-trial detention Oct. 31 /update 1

Event

After seven days of hearings, the First Preparatory Investigation Court on Wednesday, October 31, ordered opposition leader Keiko Fujimori to remain in preventive detention for 36 months. According to the judge, there is a high degree of probability that Fujimori accepted illicit contributions to her Popular Force (FP) party from Brazilian conglomerate Odebrecht. The prosecutor requested preventive detention to keep Fujimori from fleeing the country or concealing evidence while the trial is ongoing. Demonstrations in support of Fujimori are possible in the coming hours and days in response to the order. A heightened security presence and localized traffic disruptions are to be expected near any related demonstrations.

Context

Keiko Fujimori was arrested in Lima on October 10 amid an investigation into her alleged role in a money laundering scheme. She has led her father Alberto Fujimori's conservative movement since he fled the country to Japan in 2000 before resigning from the presidency. Her arrest came just days after Peru's Supreme Court ordered her father to return to prison over alleged human rights abuses, overruling the presidential pardon granted to him in December 2017. Keiko and her allies were detained for allegedly receiving contributions worth USD 1.2 million for her 2011 presidential campaign. Prosecutors have been investigating allegations that three former presidents took bribes in the form of campaign donations from Odebrecht in exchange for pledges to have the Brazilian company win local tenders for construction projects. Meanwhile, earlier this year, former Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski resigned in an Odebrecht-linked scandal.

Advice

Individuals in Lima are advised to monitor developments to the situation, avoid all demonstrations and protests as a precaution, remain vigilant for signs of civil unrest, and adhere to instructions by local authorities.