Living in Peru : your everyday companion

Living in Peru
Israel J. Ruiz


The media in Peru continues to watch Fujimori like a hawk during his trial.

Reports have been released with media catching Peru's former president sleeping, screaming, laughing and wearing sandals.

In the latest of reports, a photographer for a local newspaper took a picture of Alberto Fujimori as he was making preparations for 2011 presidential elections.

The former president was photographed taking notes on fund-raising campaigns, the cost of meetings and publicity as well as the prices of shirts and hats.

Paul Vallejos, a photographer for Peru21, took a picture of Fujimori during his trial as he was taking the sheets out of a folder and began to check each point. The former president then took some notes in a large notebook he always takes to court.

It was reported that this took place as a witness was at the stand giving his testimony.

Congressman Carlos Raffo explained that Alberto Fujimori "gets bored during the trial and has the right to think about other things".

"I imagine that after 55 sessions with prosecutors asking questions about the same thing for hours, the engineer (Fujimori) must get bored," Raffo said on CPN radio.

"He has the right to think about other things, he isn't prohibited from thinking about the future."

Furthermore, the congressional representative stated that he had attended the trial during the summer sessions and affirmed that it was "very boring to listen to prosecutors asking the same questions for three hours."

"If they asked more intelligent questions then things could be done in 20 to 30 minutes for the good of everyone," said Raffo.

He added that it was not illegal for Fujimori to prepare his campaign during the trial.

"He is simply a political leader that is going through a hard time and has not stopped thinking about the future," Raffo explained.