MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Peru: Case dropped against Keiko Fujimori heralds new presidential bid?

The prosecutor chasing the daughter of former President Alberto Fujimori was handed down a six-month suspension

A Peruvian court has dismissed all charges in the “Cocktails” case against former Presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori, clearing the way for the Fuerza Popular leader to make another try this year.

The decision by the Tenth National Preliminary Investigation Court on Tuesday effectively ended years of prosecution regarding alleged money laundering and criminal organization linked to Fujimori's 2011 and 2016 bids.

The court followed a construction by the Constitutional Court whereby laws do not apply retroactively. Hence, “receiving stolen property” as a form of money laundering was only incorporated into Peruvian law in late 2016 and was therefore not applicable during the investigated campaigns.

The TC insisted that the prosecution sought to charge Fujimori for receiving undeclared corporate funds, including from the Brazilian firm Odebrecht, but such endeavors violated the principle of legality.

“The charges brought by the prosecution against Keiko Fujimori were not criminal offenses in 2011 and before November 2016,” the Constitutional Court stated in its ruling. Charging her now would constitute a “prohibited retroactive application of criminal law.” The case dismissal also extended to dozens of other Fuerza Popular leaders.

Moreover, leading prosecutor José Domingo Pérez was handed down a six-month suspension for stretching the scope of the law. Pérez, a high-profile figure in the Lava Jato anti-corruption team, has spent years investigating the Fujimori family.