Unpredictable Fujimori still divides Peru

Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori smiles during an interview with Reuters at his house in Chicureo neighbourhood in Santiago in this June 27, 2007 file photo. Fujimori, who on Friday lost his battle against extradition from Chile, remains a divisive figure in his native land nearly seven years after he fell from power.

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Peru's former President Alberto Fujimori, who on Friday lost his battle against extradition from Chile, remains a divisive figure in his native land nearly seven years after he fell from power.

For some, he is the man who had the guts to stand up to the Maoist rebel group Shining Path and to send troops into the Japanese ambassador's residence in Lima in 1997 to end a four-month hostage crisis.

For others, he is a corrupt despot who sent death squads into homes and universities to kill innocent people, and who siphoned off state funds for himself and his cronies during his 1990-2000 rule.

But almost all would agree that Fujimori has seldom shied away from tough choices during his colourful political career.

"My hand does not tremble when difficult decisions must be made," Fujimori said in one of several interviews with Reuters while under house arrest in the Chilean capital Santiago over the past two years.

"I'm used to taking decisions which at times are unexpected. That's a little bit my style."

Fujimori became president in 1990 by beating world renowned novelist Mario Vargas Llosa at the polls. The Peru he inherited was crippled by hyperinflation and political violence.

The agronomist and former mathematics professor acted quickly, stepping up the fight against Shining Path and scoring a major victory in 1992 by capturing its founder, Abimael Guzman. The group's leadership then quickly collapsed.

Critics say there was a dark side to the crackdown on the Maoist rebels.

Peruvian prosecutors accuse Fujimori of ordering a death squad to carry out two notorious massacres -- known as Barrios Altos and La Cantuta -- in the early 1990s. Students, a professor and a young child were among the two dozen killed in the two incidents.

POLITICAL JUNKIE

Serious, courteous and unpredictable, Fujimori is a self-confessed political junkie whose thirst for power brought him to Chile in 2005 after five years in Japan, the country of his parents' birth.

He wanted to be close to Peru to make another run for the presidency. Instead, he was arrested and embroiled in a legal battle with the country he once ruled.

The 69-year-old, born on Peruvian Independence Day, July 28, has repeatedly denied the charges against him.

"I have a clear conscience. I am innocent," he says, his eyes penetrating and his manners always formal.

Carlos Raffo, Fujimori's spokesman, describes him as a man who "likes to act rather than talk".

"As a boss he is very demanding. Even if he was efficient yesterday, it means nothing to him unless he is efficient today too," Raffo said.

Now married to a wealthy Japanese businesswoman, Fujimori had an acrimonious split from his first wife, who accused him of having her kidnapped and tortured.

He was once pictured on the cover of a popular Peruvian magazine as a samurai, in traditional dress and holding a sword.

He has joint Peruvian-Japanese citizenship, and this year ran for a seat in Japan's Senate. His bid failed, and was dismissed by critics as a ploy to avoid extradition from Chile.

Fujimori took advantage of the liberal terms of his Chilean house arrest to indulge his hobbies -- fishing, cooking and gardening. During his travels, he was always impeccably dressed, whether in business suits or in informal wear.

Keenly aware of the power of the media, Fujimori has kept abreast of news from Peru and Japan via the Internet.

The cutting-edge computers and video cameras in his home, imported from Japan, contrast with the otherwise austere furnishings.

(Additional reporting by Pav Jordan)