The fourth court of appeals in the city of Arequipa turned down a petition to release Keiko Fujimori from prison. The petition, for a writ of habeas corpus, was filed by a Fujimori supporter, Julio Jove Vilca, arguing that Fujimori’s constitutional rights have been violated because there is no final ruling that she has committed any crime.
Fujimori, the leader of the Fuerza Popular party, is now 10 months into a 36-month pre-trial detention, ordered in Lima by Justice Richard Concepción, while investigations continue into alleged money laundering and organized crime, related to presidential campaign funding and obstruction of justice.
The Arequipa court of appeals, in a brief hearing, ruled that a person’s rights may be suspended, and in this case there is already a cassation appeal before the Supreme Court.
On Sept. 12, Justice Susana Castañeda of the Supreme Court is to give her decision on Fujimori’s appeal for release. The appeal will mostly likely be denied since Castañeda was called into the case to give a casting vote — in an appeal heard on Aug. 18, two Supreme Court judges voted that Fujimori should remain in prison for the 36 months while three other judges voted to reduce the time to 18 months. None of the judges believed Fujimori should be released now. The final decision requires four votes, and if Castañeda decides that Fujimori should remain in prison for the full term, an additional judge will need to hear the case and, if necessary, yet another judge until four votes are reached on one of the decisions.
The Supreme Court appeal for release also includes three of Fujimori’s closest advisors in the Fuerza Popular party — Jaime Yoshiyama, a cabinet minister in President Alberto Fujimori’s administration and the party’s financial advisor, as well as Pier Figari and Luis Mejía, all of whom also are in 36-month pre-trial detention.
