Peru’s Former President Released From Jail

SANTIAGO, Chile — Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori, flashing his trademark smile, was released Thursday from jail here in a move that stunned Peru less than three weeks before hotly contested national elections in that neighboring country.

“Obviously, I’m very satisfied, very happy,” Fujimori, looking somewhat thinner after six months in custody, told reporters. “I feel confident, and I’m going to be patient.”

A panel of justices from Chile’s Supreme Court voted 4 to 1 to allow the Peruvian ex-strongman to go free, ruling that he posed no threat to public safety. But the court barred him from leaving Chile.

Fujimori’s lawyers posted the equivalent of $2,880 in bail. He was driven from the detention site in a four-wheel-drive vehicle, headed for a rented house in the capital’s pricey Las Condes district.

Fujimori, 67, is a polarizing figure in Peru, where his tough tactics helped defeat the Shining Path guerrilla movement and control hyperinflation but incurred strong opposition. He fled the country in 2000 amid a massive corruption scandal.

After five years of exile in Japan, the ex-president arrived in Chile in November and declared his intention to return to Peru and run for president.

But Peruvian authorities quickly filed extradition proceedings against him on corruption and human rights charges, and Chilean authorities detained him. Peruvian officials say Fujimori should face trial in Lima, while his supporters call the charges politically inspired.

In jail, Fujimori was largely a nonissue during Peru’s contentious presidential race.

A runoff election scheduled for June 4 pits Ollanta Humala, a nationalist ex-army officer, against former leader Alan Garcia, whose rocky 1985-90 presidency opened the door for Fujimori, who campaigned as an outsider.

Humala and Garcia downplayed his release, which was the subject of intense media coverage in Peru amid speculation that he would try to enter the country.

“It’s news that obviously worries Peruvians a lot,” Humala told reporters. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I urge calm.”

Human rights advocates questioned the Chilean court’s finding that Fujimori was not a flight risk.

“The risk that Fujimori could flee is a real one given his past and the resources and money he commands,” said Jose Miguel Vivanco, Americas director at Human Rights Watch.

Peru has filed about a dozen charges against Fujimori, including the overseeing of millions of dollars in corrupt payments and allowing the operation of a militia responsible for the deaths of 25 people during the 1990s crackdown on leftist guerrillas. If extradited to Peru and convicted, he could spend the rest of his life in jail.

Fujimori, who is of Japanese descent, maintains that he is innocent. While in jail, he married his girlfriend, Satomi Kataoka, a wealthy Japanese businesswoman.

Special correspondent Vergara reported from Santiago and Times staff writer McDonnell from Buenos Aires. Andres D’Alessandro of The Times’ Buenos Aires Bureau contributed to this report.