30-yr prison term sought for Peru's ex-First Lady

Lima, March 12 Peru's anti-corruption prosecutor has requested a minimum 30-year prison sentence for former First Lady and leader of the Popular Force (FP) party, Keiko Fujimori, who stands accused of accepting illicit campaign funds.

Another 41 members of the conservative FP have been accused as part of an investigation into alleged illegal contributions to Fujimori's failed past presidential campaigns, reports Xinhua news agency.

Prosecutor Jose Domingo Perez has also accused them of obstructing justice and making false statements during judicial proceedings.

According to the indictment presented by Perez on Thursday, the 45-year-old Fujimori received more than $1 million in illicit campaign funds from Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht.

Downplaying the charges, Fujimori claimed she is being persecuted and pledged to run a clean campaign in the lead-up to the upcoming general elections.

"No matter how much a prosecutor now wants to get into the final stretch of the first round, I will continue to face this persecution and energetically move forward so that together we can overcome this health and economic emergency," she added.

The daughter of former President Alberto Fujimori, Keiko Fujimori is making her third run for the presidency.

In 2019-2020, she served 16 months in preventive custody at the request of the Peruvian prosecutor's office.

Peruv will go to the polls on April 11 to elect a successor to President Francisco Sagasti, whose term ends on July 28.

( With inputs from IANS )