Lima: Former President Alberto Fujimori, already convicted of abuse of authority, has denied in a second trial that he was aware of a military death squad even though he lived at army headquarters when the group operated.

"No, never!" Fujimori, 69,said yesterday, defiantly when prosecutor Jose Pelaez asked if he ever heard of the Colina death squad during the time he lived at army headquarters after leftist rebels fired a mortar at the Government Palace. He said he moved to the base for his family s safety.

Fujimori, who ruled Peru from 1990 to 2000 before fleeing to Japan as his government imploded amid a corruption scandal, was questioned on the second day of his trial on murder and kidnapping charges stemming from his alleged use of a death squad to fight a bloody Maoist insurgency.

If convicted, he faces up to 30 years in prison and a fine of some USD 33 million. The former president also faces two more trials on four corruption charges.

Unlike his outburst at the trial s opening on Monday, when he stood up and shouted "I m innocent," Fujimori appeared relaxed and confident Tuesday, smiling often as he explained his approach to fighting the Maoist Shining Path insurgency raging across Peru.

He said one of the first steps he took was to order the five intelligence agencies in the different branches of the armed forces and police to share information and answer directly to him via the National Intelligence Service, which was controlled by Vladimiro Montesinos. He said the failure to share information had been one of greatest weaknesses in the fight against the Shining Path and a smaller rebel group.

Source : PTI