Peruvian political scion Keiko Fujimori on Monday appeared in a Lima courtroom to begin what’s expected to be a massive, yearslong trial for allegedly laundering millions of dollars during her failed presidential bids.
Fujimori is among Peru’s most influential and polarizing politicians, having been the presidential runner-up three times while leading the country’s largest congressional faction. She is also the daughter of disgraced former President Alberto Fujimori who was jailed for human rights violations but is back in political life after having been released from prison due to a pardon.
Keiko Fujimori is accused of allegedly having led a criminal enterprise that laundered some $17 million to fund her presidential campaigns in 2011 and 2016. Among notable contributors were Brazilian conglomerate Odebrecht and Peruvian financial services company Credicorp. While she has acknowledged some of the campaign contributions, she denies any wrongdoing.