LIMA, Oct. 10 (Xinhua) -- Keiko Fujimori, head of Peru's opposition Popular Force party, was arrested Wednesday over charges of money laundering and accepting illegal campaign financing.
Authorities ordered Fujimori, daughter of ex-president Alberto Fujimori, to be detained for 10 days, citing a "serious flight risk," her attorney Giuliana Loza confirmed.
Fujimori had been called to appear at the prosecutor's office to give a declaration about contributions her party received for the 2011 presidential campaign, in which she ran and lost.
The charges released Wednesday said Fujimori "created a criminal organization within the political party (Popular Force)," which aimed to obtain political power among other things and as a consequence has interfered with legislative and judicial affairs.
Disgraced Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht allegedly contributed to Fujimori's campaign. Company executives have admitted to running a multinational bribery scheme to win lucrative government public works contracts.
According to Judge Richard Concepcion, who ordered Fujimori's arrest, to cover up the illicit campaign contribution which amounts to nearly 650,000 U.S. dollars, her party created 114 people as contributors.
Fujimori's attorney Giuliana Loza called the arrest "abusive" and "arbitrary," saying "no elements for conviction exist nor is there any evidence against her."
"We don't understand how they can order her preliminary arrest," Loza told a local media outlet.
Ex-ministers Jaime Yoshiyama and Augusto Bedoya Camare were among another 19 people linked to the money laundering scheme and ordered to be detained for 10 days.
