Some observers of the ApnI 5 auto- aftertwo years hadconsolidated an iron day of the autogo/pe to deliver a list of go/pc have suggested that Fujimori is a grip over the intelligence servi ces and some 120 corrupt officert, some have mere puppet of the military, a civilian through them, over the army's top suggested that Fujimori may have been facade who, like Uruguay's Juan Maria echelon....He plotted Fujimori' s coup tn'ingtoprotectcolTuptelementsin the Bordabery in the 1970s, is easily cx- against Peru's democracy." military. And according to Colena pendable. Fujimoii is indeed vulner- Montesinos directed the massive Voungers. Pen.i specialist at the Wash- able vis-a-vis the military he needs purges within the police and the mili- ington Office on Latin America, "ram- them, but they can do without him if taiy immediately after.Fujimori became pant corruption among the Peruvia n need be. Yet the relationship thai President purgesthatallowedhimand Armed Forces and police continues Fidimori has cultivated with the mili- Fujimori to place sympathetic officers unabated, and there are widespread al- tary since becoming President suggests in high posts, presumably laying the legations of corruption within Fuji- that the "puppet" theory is not wholly ground for institutional military sup- moti's inner circle of advisers." accurate. port for a coup. "Montesinos was acting Respected jurists have questioned When Fujimori won the 1990 dcc- like a skillful chess player. putting his the regime's revamping of the judi- tions. hefaced ahostilemilitary Vargas keyplaven intoppositions,"said Philip ciary, which is reportedly being over- Llosa was its preferred candidate) and Mauceil, political science profe ssor at seen by Montesinos. Under the pretext coup rumors were rampant. The new the Uni'versity of Connecticut and an of weeding out corrupt judges linked to President knew he needed a military expert on Peruvian military affairs. The APRA, many honestofficials have been insider to keep a hold on his newly won Montesiuosclique includes some s hady removedand replaced with peoplecon- albce. That man was Yladimiro Monte- characters, among them Gen. Jose sidered loyal to Montesinos. The files sinos. Valdivia Dueflas, who was promoted and rcconls of drug trufficking cases During the run-ofl' campaign with under Fujimori to commander in chief h ave been destroyed. Vargas Llosa. Montesinos offered of the army, despitebcing implicated in Most officers, tired of accusations Fujimori his legal services as well as the cover-up of the 1988 Cayar amassa- of human rights abuses. suppor1d the his influence with the judicial branch crc of 28 campesinos. "Montesinos sent ausogofpe as a way to silence their critics to have charges of fraudulent real many generals into retirement in order and win budget increases. But the re are estate dealings against the presidential tomakenmmforValdivia,"saysGorriti. reports of growing doubts about the candidate dropped. He won Fujimori s Montesinos' links to drug traffick- pawerMontesinos has accumulated. as confidence, soon becoming his adviser ers have prompted intense speculation well as about the viability of the auto- and principal link to the armed forces. ahout the intentions of the current re- go/pc itself. Moreover, as Mauceri Montesiaos. who was booted from gEne. A DEA memo leaked to the Mi- points out, while Fujirnori has the sup- the army in 1976 for reportedly selling toni Herald claims the purges and ap- portofthctopeommanders,handpicked state secrets to the CIA. is said to have pointrnents were done explicit ly to pro- by Montesinos, it is unclear how deep engineered the auto go/pc. Peruvian tect and promote drug uaffieking. The down the ranks that support runs. And journalist Gustavo Gorriti, who wrote newspaper also reported that "since as tormer army chief of staff Cien. Lois an expose of Montesinos in 1983 link- Fujimori suspended the constitution Cisneros recently commented, "If Fuji- ing him to drug traffickers, described April 5, drug activities have sur ged moridoesn'tgetridofMontesinossoon, him in the Lo.c Angeles Times recently nationwide." Montesinos may get rid of him."
