Keiko Fujimori refused Odebrecht’s “futile” request to return to prison for money laundering

Peruvian presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori described as “sillyThe Anti-Corruption Prosecutor requested preventive detention against him for allegedly violating judicial restrictions on the ongoing investigation into alleged money laundering.

“Even more absurd is the reason for asking for this changeAppearing in front of an actual prison, Fujimori said, Thursday, at a press conference in which he was accompanied Miguel Torres’s photo, a witness to the case and admitted to being close to Fujimori’s election campaign.

Specifically, the prosecutor Jose Domingo Perez, a member of the investigation team in the Lava Jato case in Peru, He asked to cancel Fujimori’s appearance because he met Torres Although he was prevented from contacting witnesses and participants in the next investigation.

The candidate faces the prosecutor’s request for more than 30 years in prison for alleged money laundering in financing her previous election campaigns, a trial that would have avoided her running for election.

Torres watch

Although Torres had previously announced to local media that he was not a witness to the investigation against Fujimori, at this Thursday’s press conference, Keiko’s attorney Juliana Loza admitted that “He is a witness to this case“.

The lawyer considered, however, that the prosecutor’s request It lacks any legal and factual basisHe said he hoped Judge Victor Zuniga would be in charge of the case,” he said.Declares this petition inadmissible“.

“Let’s hope that after we are notified of this request and summoned, the criminal judge will declare it inadmissible, not only because it is unnecessary, but because it lacks any logic,” he said.

financial order

In the document sent to Judge Zuniga, Prosecutor Perez asserted that Fujimori violated judicial rules imposed during her investigation into the money laundering crime., such as outreach to witnesses linked to the case of alleged illegal contributions to their campaigns in 2011 and 2016.

“Defendant Fujimori Higuchi once again found that he had violated the restrictions on not communicating with witnesses; Well, it has been noted as a general and known fact that he communicates with witness Miguel Torres Morales,” the text confirms.

Specifically, Perez cited Wednesday’s conference, at which attorney Torres was introduced as a political spokesperson for Fuerza Popular’s legal entity.

Fujimori and Torres were together at the same table while the candidate’s party asked electoral authorities to cancel 802 voter records representing nearly 200,000 votes amid accusations of irregularities and “table fraud” in last Sunday’s presidential election.

Relationship to the elections

In response, Fujimori confirmed that Attorney General Perez is seeking “Continue to be the protagonist of this campaign”, as he awaits the results of the second presidential round he fought with the leftist Pedro Castillo, who is leading the vote.

Specifically, she asserted that Perez made this request after she presented Torres as one of those responsible for her request to cancel about 200,000 votes considered in favor of Castillo.

But he asserted that his party, the popular force, “To respect the will of the people“And he believed it.”Absolute respect for electoral colleges“.

“There is a clear intent here to separate us from Mickey (Miguel Torres), to distract us, to disturb this process, which is the final counts of a very important election…This request will not distract us at all,” he said.

Finally, the candidate said that she “trusted” the judiciary and was “not afraid” to complete her request to return to prison.

trying to intimidate

For his part, Torres confirmed that he is participating.anger“Before this request and that”It is not a good idea to think that because you have yourself, a friend, and the person you support, you may be in danger of losing your freedom again.“.

“Obviously what he’s trying to do is intimidation, but if he thinks he’s going to get it, he’s wrong,” he said before confirming his presence in Fujimori’s presidential campaign. months ago.”

Torres added that he has even been the principal, since last June, of the so-called “Orange School,” a virtual classroom in which it offers courses for young fighters from the Popular Power Party.

(With information from EFE)

Read on: