Japan rejects Peru's request on Fujimori

Japan rejected Peru's request Tuesday that former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori should testify through teleconference as a witness in a trial against Vladimiro Montesinos.

Such an interrogation was an interference in Japanese sovereignty, Nita Gamio, a Japanese official was quoted by the Andina news agency as saying.

Montesinos, jailed at El Callao, was Fujimori's former aide andchief of the defunct National Intelligence Service (SIN).

He had requested Fujimori to declare as a witness in a trial onpayments to former owners of television channels, who backed Fujimori's reelection in 2000.

The Peruvian Anti-Corruption Chamber accepted the request and asked the Peruvian government to take steps to interrogate Fujimori, who has been in exile in Japan since 2000 and was charged with corruption and illegal association.

However, Japan rejected the extradition request filed by Peru on July 2003, as Fujimori holds the double Peruvian-Japanese citizenship.

Source: Xinhua