Vladimiro Montesinos - The Fujimori Years

The Fujimori Years

Montesinos came to public notice again in 1990 when he defended Fujimori against accusations of fraudulent real estate dealings, during the presidential campaign, when Fujimori was an obscure candidate. The paperwork in the case disappeared and the charges were dropped. After Fujimori won the election on July 28, 1990, Montesinos became his chief advisor and the effective head of the intelligence service, whose acronym is SIN.

Through his position, he came to have virtually unlimited power within Peru. By promoting his former classmates into top positions, Montesinos came to control the Peruvian Armed Forces. During the course of the decade, he established a network of corruption that permeated media, business, political parties, and government. Toward the end of the Fujimori years, it was reported that Montesinos' tax records indicated he was making $600,000 a year, even though his official salary was $18,000.