Various media sources both in English and Spanish have accused former president Alberto Fujimori of not taking his trial seriously due to his recent behavior in court. State Prosecutor José Peláez has complained that the ex-president “is not paying attention to testimony” and that his behavior demonstrates a “lack of respect” (Xinua, “Former Peruvian President accused of despising court.” May 9, 2008).
Fujimori has been caught sleeping several times during the trial and had a laughing fit that lasted over a minute long after hearing that his assistants used to spy on him through a keyhole. Most recently he was caught planning his political comeback on May 7, 2008 by a photographer from local newspaper Perú21, as mentioned in Friday’s post.
Pro-Fujimori Congressman Carlos Raffo attributed this planning to the trial’s dullness, telling Reuters that “this is not a crime, it’s a right; moreover the trial sessions are really boring […] Former president Fujimori wants to busy himself with something positive.” (“Fujimori prepara campaña electoral en prisión de Perú,” May 8, 2008)
Perú21 reports, “this document reveals that ‘fujimorismo’ is planning on an intense publicity campaign, on the radio and with marches, in anticipation of the presidential elections.” (“Fujimorismo se alista para el 2011” May 8, 2008)
However, the sentence for the case of illegal entry, confirmed on April 15, 2008, prohibits Fujimori from holding a public office for two years, which will be in effect after the completion of his six-year jail sentence in 2013.
Is Fujimori taking his trial seriously? What message is he attempting to send to Peruvian society?
1 response so far ↓
1 Michael Baney // May 14, 2008 at 3:17 pm
While I rarely defend Fujimori, it’s far from certain that the campaign notes that he has been seen taking are about his own campaign for the presidency. They could just as well be for his daughter, who will likely run.
I think the serious question that must be asked is this: Why does Fujimori feel that it is unimportant to pay attention to his trial? If found guilty, he will likely spend the rest of his life in prison. Is he so convinced that the outcome of the trial has already been decided that he sees this as a waste of time? What would make him think that? Does he think that he’s going to be railroaded and sent up the river no matter what happens? Or does he think that the witnesses will definitely exonerate him?
Or perhaps he is so depressed about having been sentenced to six years in jail that he doesn’t care anymore how long he will be incarcerated for. That seems unlikely, though: surely he would want to die a free man.
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