As Promised, Fujimori Calls Early Elections

President Alberto Fujimori made good Friday on his pledge to call early elections on April 8, cutting short his contentious third term amid a corruption scandal involving his fugitive ex-spy chief.

The date for presidential, vice presidential and congressional elections was made official in a legal notice in the government gazette, El Peruano.

Fujimori has led an unsuccessful two-week manhunt for his former intelligence advisor, Vladimiro Montesinos.

It was Montesinos’ appearance in a leaked videotape apparently bribing an opposition congressman that forced Fujimori’s mid-September decision to give up the presidency with a special ballot.

Fujimori won a third five-year term in May in an election marred by allegations of fraud and vote-rigging that his foes say was engineered by Montesinos.

The shadowy spymaster has been in hiding since defying Fujimori and flying back to Peru two weeks ago after Panama refused to give him asylum.

On Friday, Bolivia’s government and Peru’s embassy in La Paz both denied reports that Montesinos wanted asylum in Bolivia, saying that he would not be given sanctuary.

He is sought on charges of corruption, money laundering and ordering murders. About $48 million in Swiss bank accounts linked to him has been frozen, along with other funds.

“His return caused incredible chaos [in Peru]. In these kinds of cases generally a government is consulted before being asked to grant asylum and Peru has made no such contact, and even if it did the answer would be no,” Bolivian Information Minister Manfredo Kempff told reporters.

“Given the extremely friendly relations we enjoy with Peru, the presence of Montesinos here would be a complication,” the official said.

Government Minister Guillermo Fortun said there was no evidence to indicate that Montesinos “would have come to Bolivia or is saying he may come. We would have to ensure this would not happen because it could harm relations with Peru, which is the last thing we want.”

Peru’s Ambassador in La Paz, Harry Belevan, said his diplomatic mission was “absolutely unaware of any request or information that I have read in the press.”

Bolivian daily El Diario cited military and diplomatic sources in Friday’s edition as stating Montesinos had been in Bolivia for “a number of days, seeking asylum.”

The manhunt for Montesinos intensified after Swiss authorities revealed on Nov. 3 that they had frozen more than $48 million allegedly laundered by Montesinos. The amount under investigation swelled to $58 million after other accounts were discovered in the Cayman Islands, Uruguay and New York.

In addition to the charges of corruption, money laundering and ordering murders, Montesinos faces criminal complaints in Peru ranging from torture to skimming profits from narcotics trades during his 10 years as Fujimori’s top aide.

Fujimori has promised to bring Montesinos to justice and preside over a smooth transition of power, handing the presidency to a successor next July.