Peruvian Congress passes anti-corruption laws

Congress in Peru has approved legislation giving the authorities more powers to tackle corruption.

The new laws allow police to arrest suspects without laying formal charges and prevent them from leaving the country.

Rewards are also being established for those who provide information about wrongdoing.

The new legislation is intended to help the judicial authorities investigate the former government of president Alberto Fujimori, who is in Japan.

In a BBC interview, a state attorney heading the probe, Jose Ugaz, said hundreds of officials were suspected of involvement in a vast corruption network operating within Mr Fujimori's administration.

He said he expected there would be arrests very soon.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service