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Up to 180 Accused of Crimes Linked with Fujimori's Former Aide
A Peruvian Congress commission Wednesday accused up to 180 people -- civilians or those from the military -- of bribery, blackmail and involvement in other criminal activities of former presidential advisor Vladimiro Montesinos.
In a report presented to the Congress on Wednesday, the commission also accused former president Alberto Fujimori of peddling political favors by pardoning the two daughters of an entrepreneur, who were involved in a drug dealing case.
The commission, led by David Waisman, is entrusted with the investigation of the illegal activities of Mongtesinos, the fugitive former spy chief, who triggered a corruption scandal last year that helped topple then-President Fujimori.
Many former ministers under Fujimori's government are among the accused numbering between 150 and 180. On top of them was Miguel Medina, president of the Joint Command of the Armed Forces.
Medina was charged with receiving illegal kickbacks from the purchase of three MiG-29 aircraft from Russia after he presented a fake technical report describing the 1992-assembled aircraft as brand new to secure the deal.
Montesinos was accused of illegal operation of a military police savings bank, the illegal arms purchase and drug trafficking in addition to money laundering charges.
Waisman's commission has worked since November in parallel to probes by a state attorney into the alleged "Mafia" run by Montesinos when he acted as Fujimori's top aide.
Peru has offered a reward of 5 million U.S. dollars for the arrest of Montesinos, who is believed hiding in Venezuela.
Fujimori fled to Japan last November at the height of the scandal. He was fired by Congress for "morally unfit" to rule and currently faces charges of dereliction of duty and involvement in a 1991 massacre by an army death squad.
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