Jailed ex-President Alberto Fujimori could face charges for his 1992 ¨self-coup,¨ according to Agencia Andina. The head of Peru’s Extradition Unit, Omar Chehade, told Agencia Andina that officials are considering making a request to Chile to include ¨self-coup¨ charges as part of Fujimori’s extradition.
Chile’s Supreme Court decided to extradite Fujimori on September 21, 2007. The decision was based on two charges of human rights violations and five corruption charges. According to Percy García Cavero, penal law expert at University of Piura, Fujimori can only be tried for the seven charges for which he was extradited.
Chehade told Agencia Andina the ¨self-coup¨ wasn’t originally included in the extradition because Peruvian officials thought it could jeopardize the other charges. ¨It wasn’t the right time to submit it, the charge could have jeopardized the other 12 that were submitted. The Chilean judge might have thought all of the requests were politically motivated, which is incorrect.¨
Before submitting a request, Peru’s Anticorruption Office will evaluate the ¨self-coup¨ charge to see if it is feasible. ¨It must be technically analyzed by collecting opinions from Chilean judges and other foreign professionals¨ said Chehade. The evaluation could take up to a month.
Fujimori’s ¨self-coup¨ dissolved Congress on April 5, 1992 amid a faltering economy and raging guerrilla insurgency. Ten of Fujimori’s ex-Ministers received four to 10 year prison sentences on Tuesday for their involvement in the ¨self-coup.¨
