Peru court orders Keiko Fujimori's release from preventive custody

LIMA - Peru's Constitutional Court on Monday ordered the release of opposition leader Keiko Fujimori, who is being held in preventive custody amid investigations into bribery and corruption.

The court ruled four-to-three in favor of Fujimori's defense team, which had argued she should be allowed to go free while prosecutors investigate the case.

Constitutional Court Judge Ernesto Blume stressed the decision "does not absolve or convict her" of the charges, but only disagrees with a judicial order dating from October 2018 that the suspect presented a flight risk or could interfere with the investigation by tampering with evidence and witnesses.

The daughter of former President Alberto Fujimori and leader of Peru's Popular Force party, Fujimori is accused of illegally accepting money from Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht to fund her 2011 presidential campaign.

She was taken into preventive custody in October 2018.