BBC News Online: World: Americas

Peru's ex-spy chief blames Fujimori

Montesinos is being held in this military jail

Mr Montesinos told an anti-corruption judge he handed out thousands of dollars "following orders from President Fujimori to obtain a congressional majority.

"He constantly stated he would not be satisfied until he was sure he had an absolute majority in parliament," Mr Montesinos' statement says.

Elections in 1991 saw President Fujimori's supporters win only 52 seats in the 120 seat Congress.

Majority

Mr Montesinos says he was given the task of winning over 10 more congress members to secure a majority.

It was when a video was released in September 2000 showing him apparently offering a $15,000 to one of the newly-elected congressmen that scandal engulfed the Fujimori presidency.

He was stripped of the presidency by a vote in Congress, and Peru has since been governed by a transitional government.

Mr Montesinos was discovered hiding in Venezuela, and returned to Peru at the end of June.

High security prison

Since then, he has been kept in the maximum-security jail in the port of Callao that he himself designed to hold convicted 'subversives'.

He faces accusations ranging from murder, drugs trafficking and corruption.

Ex-president Fujimori has denied any implication in his former closest assessor's alleged corrupt practices.

Fresh presidential and congressional elections were held in June, and new president Alejandro Toledo will take office by the end of July.