Peru's ex-president Fujimori pardoned of corruption, rights abuses

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Former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori, serving 25 years in prison for corruption and rights abuses, was pardoned on Sunday, amid allegations this was part of a deal to keep current President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski in power.

The pardon also came a day after Fuijimori was rushed to the hospital.

"The president of the republic... has decided to grant a humanitarian pardon to Mr Alberto Fujimori and seven other people in similar condition," the presidency said in a statement.

The decision, which stunned many in Peru, prompted calls on social media for a Christmas Eve protest in downtown Lima and could result in resignations from the Cabinet.

Fujimori's foes slammed the pardon as the work of a political deal crafted to help Kuczynski survive a scandal.

Kuczynski's office denies the allegations and said in a statement that a medical review showed Fujimori, who governed Peru from 1990 to 2000, suffered from "a progressive, degenerative and incurable disease."

Supporters celebrate after Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski pardoned former president Alberto Fujimori who was serving a 25-year prison sentence, outside Centenario hospital in Lima, Peru, December 24, 2017. /Reuters Photo

Fujimori, 79, was rushed to a local hospital late on Saturday suffering from low blood pressure and an irregular heartbeat.

Some of his detractors said his hospitalization was staged to legitimize the pardon, but Fujimori's doctor denied the allegations.

Speculation about a pardon arose after the ex-president’s son Kenji Fujimori broke ranks last week with Peru’s main opposition party, which was pushing to impeach Kuczynski over allegations of corruption.

Fujimori, in prison since 2005, is a deeply divisive figure in Peru. While many consider him a corrupt dictator, others credit him with ending an economic crisis and bloody leftist insurgency during his 1990-2000 term.

TV images showed Fujimori's supporters waving banners that read "Freedom for Fujimori" and cheering the announcement outside the hospital in Lima where he remained late on Sunday.

For others, the pardon triggered anger and a call for protests.

The pardon was also a blow to family members of victims, prosecutors and human rights activists who helped put Fujimori behind bars in a lengthy judicial process that earned Peru global plaudits for fighting impunity.

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Source(s): AFP ,Reuters