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Graft trial starts for Peru's Keiko Fujimori / Photo: © AFP
Graft trial starts for Peru's Keiko Fujimori
Three-time Peruvian presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori was in the dock Monday for the start of her trial on graft charges that could land her 30 years in prison.
The 49-year-old daughter of ex-president Alberto Fujimori stands accused of taking money from scandal-tainted Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht to fund failed presidential bids in 2011 and 2016.
She is on trial on charges of money laundering, organized crime, obstruction of justice and making false declarations, and had already spent 16 months in pre-trial detention before being freed ahead of 2021 presidential elections, which she lost.
Victory would have temporarily shielded Fujimori from prosecution on charges that she received $1.2 million from Odebrecht as part of a bribery scheme the company had allegedly mounted around Latin America in exchange for contracts.
Four former Peruvian presidents have been implicated in the Odebrecht affair, including two-term leader Alan Garcia who committed suicide in 2019 when police came to his house to arrest him.
Fujimori's trial, which started Monday with some 1,500 names on the witness list, is expected to last more than a year.
Prosecutors have said they are seeking a prison term of 30 years and 10 months.
Outside the courtroom in Lima, dozens of supporters gathered Monday, chanting: "Justice yes, revenge no! Keiko is innocent."
Fujimori is on trial with 45 others, including her ex-husband, American Mark Vito Villanella, and former members and leaders of her Popular Force party.
She has maintained her innocence.
S.Hall--SFF
