FUJIMORI EXTRADITION CASE HAS PROBLEMS SAYS EXPERT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 LIMA 002589

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/08/2025
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINR PREL PE
SUBJECT: FUJIMORI EXTRADITION CASE HAS PROBLEMS SAYS EXPERT

REF: LIMA 530

Classified By: A/DCM Alexander Margulies, Reason: 1.4 (d)

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Summary:
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1. (C) The GOP's case to compel Japan to extradite former
Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori is poorly organized and
filled with errors, according to noted human rights lawyer
and former Truth and Reconciliation Executive Secretary
Javier Ciurlizza (strictly protect). Foreign Minister
Rodriguez has asked Ciurlizza to spearhead a working group to
reorganize Peru's petition for extradition. Ciurlizza is
pessimistic that the case can prosper at this late date. End
Summary

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A Botched Submission
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2. (C) The GOP's case to compel Japan to extradite former
Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori is poorly organized and
filled with errors, according to Javier Ciurlizza, a noted
human rights lawyer who is former Executive Secretary for the
Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and Professor of Human
Rights at the Catholic University.


3. (C) Ciurlizza told Poloff on 6/7 that Foreign Minister
Manuel Rodriguez had asked him to head a task force at the
Foreign Ministry to reorganize the extradition case against
former President Fujimori. Rodriguez told Ciurlizza that the
GOP was also hiring a top-notch Washington law firm to help
with the case. (Note: Ciurlizza could not identify the firm,
but he said that it included prominent human rights expert
and American University Professor Robert Goldman on its
staff. End Note.)


4. (C) Ciurlizza was dismayed when he reviewed the documents
that the GOP had submitted to Japan. He said the prosecutors
had prepared their cases well, but the presentation to Japan
had been botched by Peru's Supreme Court Justices. Ciurlizza
said their opinions were poorly organized and badly written,
including some embarrassing spelling errors. Ciurlizza
speculated that some justices might not want the case to
prosper since they feared retribution following what they saw
as the increasingly possibility of Fujimori's return.


5. (C) Ciurlizza complained that the GOP appeared to have
wasted two years in the extradition process. He noted that
two years ago as part of the wrap-up to his work on the Truth
and Reconciliation Commission, he had given GOP officials a
memo suggesting an extradition strategy. At that time, he
urged that extradition be based on international agreements
Peru had ratified on money laundering and torture. Having
reviewed the current state of the case, Ciurlizza's
impression was that given the lost time, the best course to
follow now would be to for Peru to concede Fujimori's claim
of Japanese nationality and try to compel the GOJ to
prosecute him in Japan for alleged links to the Yakuza.


6. (C) Although he was wary about complying with Foreign
Minister Rodriguez's request that he reorganize the Fujimori
extradition case, Ciurlizza said he would probably accept the
job because it was "the right thing to do." Nevertheless,
Ciurlizza was increasingly skeptical that the project would
prosper, given the short remaining time for the Toledo
administration. (Note: The Peruvian Foreign Ministry issued
a press release on 6/7 noting that it had called in the
Japanese Ambassador to express concern over the GOJ's delay
in responding to the Fujimori extradition request. The press
release also criticized Fujimori's recent attempt to renew
his Peruvian national identy card (DNI),while at the same
time claiming he was exempt from extradition as a Japanese
citizen. End Note.)

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Comment:
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7. (C) Ciurlizza's comments jibe with what we have heard
from sources at the Japanese Embassy about the disorganized
state of the Fujimori extradition case. That said, there is
ample reason to believe, based on what the Ambassador has
heard from senior Japanese sources, that even a well-prepared
extradition request would not prosper with Tokyo. Most
political commentators foresee the election of a significant
pro-Fujimori bloc in next year's Congressional contest, which
could further complicate efforts to extradite the
ex-President. End Comment.
STRUBLE