Lima - Almost seven years after former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori abandoned power and fled to Japan, he was on Friday set to return to Peru under an extradition order to stand trial on human rights and corruption charges, conditions in stark contrast to his hopes of a return to power. The Chilean Supreme Court on Friday approved his extradition to Peru on two counts of human rights abuses and five counts of corruption.
Fujimori, 69, faces up to 30 years in jail for his alleged role in two massacres, in which testimony points to the former president as a key element in the murders of 25 people.
The former president, who holds dual Japanese-Peruvian citizenship, is one on the main figures of Peruvian politics in recent decades, but until 1989 was totally unknown.
Fujimori - born in Lima on July 28, 1938 to Japanese immigrants - led a state technical university, La Agraria, when he announced his presidential candidacy for a party with an unknown political agenda.
Amid a fight between an extreme-capitalist right wing, a weakened social democratic movement and a divided left which could not distance itself from violence, the man nicknamed "El Chino" was able to capture the political moment to deliver the greatest electoral surprise in Peruvian history.
A liberal model, which straightened an economy devastated during current Peruvian President Alan Garcia's first term, precise blows against terrorist activity and a merciless attack on unpopular politicians turned Fujimori into a leader connected with the masses.
In this context, the people backed his so-called "self-coup" in 1992, marking the beginning of a long period of authoritarian rule in which the South American country turned on its president's every whim.
But when Fujimori was re-elected in an irregular electoral process in 2000, there were already indications that Peru was being subjected to the looting of a mafia-like network led by powerful adviser Vladimiro Montesinos, Fujimori's closest ally.
With his back against the wall, Fujimori chose to run. He arrived in Japan for a work visit in November 2000 and faxed home his resignation as president. Peruvian authorities proceeded to impeach him, launching judicial proceedings that now see him facing extradition from Chile.
He was comfortable in Japan. Backed by his Japanese citizenship and by the local extreme right, he lived in luxury although it remains unknown how he financed his activities. Tokyo closed ranks around him, and a possible extradition from Japan seemed unlikely.
However, in late 2005 Fujimori took an unexplained step and travelled to Chile. Following the initial confusion, Santiago chose to keep him under watch pending a decision on his extradition.
A long path through Chilean courts, which included a preliminary decision against extradition, ended Friday with a final Supreme Court decision to extradite Fujimori to Peru.
In Peru, the former president will be a hot potato. An estimated 15-20 per cent of Peruvians still back him, although opinion polls show a large majority think he is guilty of the charges against him.
