Out of Office, Into Court

ALBERTO FUJIMORI

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Country: Peru

Charges: Corruption. Secretly wiretapped 28 politicians, journalists and businessmen. Bribed 13 congressmen, a TV station, and a newspaper editorial board

Developments: Fujimori, who ruled Peru from 1990-2000, was sentenced to six years in prison on September 30 after his fourth and final corruption trial. He was sentenced to 25 years in April for ordering killings and kidnappings by his security forces. In July he was sentenced to 7 1/2 years for giving $15 million of state money to his spy chief. He was also convicted in 2007 of abuse of power and sentenced to six years.  He admitted to the wiretappings and bribes during his latest trial.

Fujimori fled to Japan in 2000 after a series of videos leaked showing his spy chief handing piles of money to opposition leaders and media figures. He sent in his resignation via fax machine and lived in Japan for seven years.  There may, however, be a light at the end of the tunnel for the jailed former president. Fujimori’s daughter, a frontrunner in the current presidential contest, says she will pardon her father if elected.

DOMINIQUE DE VILLEPIN

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Country: France

Charges: Complicity in false accusation, complicity in using forgeries, receipt of stolen property and breach of trust

Developments: The scandal surrounding Villepin dates back to 2004, when the then foreign minister was given a list of alleged bribe-takers from his friend and former vice president of the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company Jean-Louis Gergorin. The list implicated French businessmen and politicians, including now President Nicolas Sarkozy, of receiving $1.2 billion in bribes from sales of warships to Taiwan in 1991. The list was later proven to be a forgery.  Instead of immediately turning the list over to authorities, Villepin had it privately investigated, which he claims was proper protocol. At the time, Villepin and Sarkozy were fierce rivals in the conservative party, both leading candidates to succeed then President Jacques Chirac.

Sarkozy claims that Villepin knew the list was forged when he sent it to an investigative judge in an effort to smear him and ruin his chances at the presidency. Villepin, who has been out of office since May 2007, denies that allegation. The trial started September 21 and is expected to last until October 21. If convicted, Villepin could face five years in jail and a $65,000 fine.

Villepin is best known outside of France for his February 2003 U.N. speech opposing the U.S. invasion of Iraq. He is a career diplomat who served as chief of staff, foreign minister, interior minister and prime minister in Chirac’s government. Villepin has not ruled out a run for the presidency in 2012; however this scandal has the potential to derail his chances of a future political career.

EHUD OLMERT

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Country: Israel

Charges: Failing to declare income, breaching trust, and falsifying corporate records

Developments: Olmert’s alleged crimes occurred when he was Jerusalem’s mayor and a cabinet minister  before being elected prime minister in 2006. Olmert insists he is not guilty, and some speculate the trial could go on for as long as four years. He is the first Israeli prime minister to stand trial. Among the accusations is that Olmert over-charged Jewish charities $92,000 for trips abroad. He allegedly kept this money in a secret account used for treating his family and himself to luxuries.

Olmert was dogged by corruption allegations throughout his time as prime minister, including accusations that he took hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign money from an American businessman. Olmert claims the money was used for campaigning, but the businessman, Morris Talansky, hints they were used to buy everything from watches to cigars. Olmert was also widely criticized for his handling of Israel’s 2006 war with Hezbollah. He stepped down this March, saying that the ongoing corruption investigation was making it impossible for him to lead.

CHEN SHUI-BIAN

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Country: Taiwan

Charges: Taking $9 million in bribes, stealing from the presidential fund

Developments:  After he was reelected in 2004 allegations, corruption allegations against Chen and his family started to build. In July 2006, his son-in-law was arrested for insider trading. Then, in November of that year, his wife was charged with corruption and forgery and his son and daughter-in-law with money laundering. Presidential immunity kept Chen from being indicted while in office, but an investigation into alleged corruption was launched just one hour after he stepped down in May 2008. Earlier this month, Chen and his wife were sentenced to life in prison. His son and daughter-in-law also received shorter sentences.

The family took at least $9 million in bribes through a land deal, using Swiss bank accounts to try to cover their tracks. They also were convicted of misusing millions of dollars in the presidential fund. Chen, a fierce critic of mainland China, claims the conviction is politically motivated in an effort to appease China. Chen spent two weeks on a hunger strike during the trial. Many Taiwanese continue to believe that the changes against Chen are politically motivated.

SILVIO BERLUSCONI

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Country : Italy

Charges: Currently none

Developments: Even after 2,500 hearings, 587 visits by the police and $272.9 million in legal fees during his political career, Italy’s prime minsiter is still unlikely to see the inside of a courtroom any time soon. Most recently, he was charged with bribing a lawyer to lie about evidence in a corruption trial. However, the charges were dropped  last year when Berlusconi was “freed” by a new immunity law that suspends criminal cases against the prime minister while in office. His lawyer was convicted of taking the bribe and sentenced to 4 1/2 years in jail. Berlusconi says the amnesty allows him to perform his job without being harassed by the magistrates.

Berlusconi claims judges in Milan hold left-wing biases and as a result are trying to take him down with charges of corruption, tax evasion and fraud. He has gone to trial on charges of corruption six times before, each time acquitted or freed after the statute of limitations ran out. The latest corruption charge, for which he could go on trial once out of office, is based on his media company’s purchase of American film rights. Prosecutors believe the prices of these rights were artificially inflated by third parties, with the extra money going into secret funds used to pay off politicians. The seemingly teflon prime minister is probably safe for now, but he can likely look forward to years of legal battles as soon as he steps down.