Peru: Judiciary revokes Keiko Fujimori's preventive detention

With this decision, the chamber resolved the appeal submitted by the defense of Fujimori, who is investigated for the alleged crimes of aggravated money laundering by a criminal organization, in addition to obstruction of justice.

Thus, the court ordered Keiko Fujimori not to be absent from her city of residence or to change her home address without prior written authorization from the Fourth National Permanent Preparatory Investigation Court Specialized in Organized Crime that has jurisdiction over this case.

In addition, the daughter of Alberto Fujimori will have to undergo the biometric control every 30 days, report her activities to the aforementioned court, appear before the judicial and prosecutorial authorities that may require so, and is banned from communicating with the co-defendants or witnesses in the case.

An economic bond worth S/70,000 (about US$20,753) was also imposed on her. The amount shall be paid within a period of five business days.

According to the appeal chamber, the preventive detention is not justified in the case of Keiko Fujimori. It added that this was not the most appropriate measure to better guarantee the development of investigations of the crimes attributed by the Public Ministry to her.

It also considered that in the current coronavirus outbreak situation, the recommendation of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights —which requests measures to counter overcrowding in prisons— should be taken into account, including the reassessment of preventive detention cases.

As is known, Fujimori has been serving a 15-month preventive prison sentence since January 28, 2020, at Lima's Chorrillos Women's Prison by order of Judge Victor Zuñiga Urday, who had accepted a request submitted by the Lava Jato Case Special Prosecution Group.