Chile court upholds Fujimori's detention

A court in Chile has upheld the detention of former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori who is fighting extradition to Peru where…

A court in Chile has upheld the detention of former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori who is fighting extradition to Peru where he faces corruption and charges of human rights abuses.

The ruling means Mr Fujimori - who is being held at an academy for corrections officers - must remain under arrest as Peru pursues his extradition on charges stemming from his 1990-2000 rule.

A court panel voted 5-0 to reject a petition for Mr Fujimori's release.

Chilean authorities arrested Fujimori upon his surprise arrival earlier this month from five years of exile in Japan, where he fled in 2000 as his government collapsed amid a corruption scandal. He resigned the presidency by fax from Tokyo.

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Mr Fujimori has said he intends to return to Peru to again seek the presidency in elections set for April 2006, despite a congressional ruling barring him from holding public office until 2011.

In Peru, Mr Fujimori faces charges ranging from abuse of power and corruption to sanctioning a paramilitary death squad.

AP