PERU is to seek the extradition of Alberto Fujimori, its disgraced former president, from neighbouring Chile to face human rights and corruption charges after he unexpectedly ended his self-imposed exile in Japan.

Señor Fujimori, who fled Peru in 2000 and sought refuge in his ancestral homeland, was arrested by Interpol agents at the Marriott Hotel in Santiago early yesterday. He had flown into Chile by private jet from Tokyo, saying that he was preparing to stand in elections in Peru in April 2006.

He said: “It is my intention to stay in Chile temporarily as part of the process for my return to Peru, and to fulfil the commitment with an important sector of the Peruvian people who have called for me to participate as a candidate for the presidency of the Peruvian Republic for the 2006 elections.”

Peru lodged an extradition request as soon as his plane landed in Santiago.

In Lima, the capital, supporters staged a rally calling for all charges against Señor Fujimori to be dropped, while opponents gathered outside the Chilean Embassy and urged his immediate deportation and trial.

Ignacio Walker, the Chilean Foreign Minister, said that the matter was in the hands of his country’s justice system. The extradition process could take up to a year, he said.

Carlos Raffo, Señor Fujimori’s spokesman in Peru, said that the arrest had not come as a surprise. “Everything that’s happening here is part of a carefully planned strategy by Fujimori. He is executing his plan to return to Peru,” Señor Raffo said. But Javier Valle Riestra, Señor Fujimori’s former prime minister, said that he wrongly assumed he could engineer his political comeback from Chile.

The arrival of Señor Fujimori, 67, comes as tensions are mounting between Chile and Peru over the disputed sea boundary between the countries, with Alejandro Toledo, the Peruvian President, last week signing a Bill to redraw the border that had been agreed in a 1954 treaty.

Señor Fujimori, a former university rector with no political experience, came to power in 1990, elected as an alternative to the ruling elite, and remained in office until 2000. He straddled a line between dictator and democrat after dissolving Congress in 1992.

His mandate proved initially popular as he slashed hyperinflation and defeated an insurgency by the Shining Path, a Maoist rebel group that dominated large areas of Peru when he came to power. Abimael Guzmán, its leader, was arrested in 1992.

He was also praised for his management of the 1996-97 hostage crisis when Túpac Amaru guerrillas seized the Japanese Ambassador’s residence in Lima, taking hundreds of diplomats hostage. After a four-month stand-off, the residency was stormed and the hostages rescued, with all 14 rebels killed. Señor Fujimori’s Government was toppled during a political scandal that exploded when videos emerged of Vladimiro Montesinos, the head of the Peruvian intelligence service and a close ally of the President, bribing politicians to shore up support for the President.

Since then the charges against Señor Fujimori have mounted, with his government being linked to an arms drop in Colombia, as well as various human rights abuses committed by the Armed Forces during his time in office. Human rights groups estimate that more than 60,000 people lost their lives during the counter-insurgency. Japan resisted Peru’s extradition request, claiming that Señor Fujimori, the son of Japanese immigrants, had retained Japanese citizenship. Despite the charges against Señor Fujimori, recent opinion polls suggest he would present a formidable challenge to the main contenders in next year’s election. Señor Toledo is not seeking re-election.

RISE AND FALL OF A LEADER

1990 Elected President in surprise win, beating the writer Mario Vargas Llosa. Introduces radical programme of privatisation and reform

1992 Dissolves Congress and courts

1995 Restores Congress; wins presidential elections

2000 Wins elections amid allegations of vote-rigging

November 2000 Flees to Japan and faxes resignation

September 2001 Warrant out for international arrest; another issued in January 2002

July 2003 Peru formally asks Japan to extradite him

September 2004 Says he plans to run for presidency in 2006

Explore World News

• World Agenda

• Iraq News

• US & Americas News

• Europe News

• Middle East News

• Afghanistan News

• Asia News

• Africa News

• Ireland News

Times Recommends

• Please help: maimed children of war want their lives back
• Cabal seizes diamond riches to buy power
• White House gatecrashers got to the president