 LIMA – Peru’s prime minister expressed concern on Monday over a media report that the secretary-general of the Fuerza Popular party of presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori is being investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. “The Attorney General’s Office will surely initiate investigations” of allegations that Joaquin Ramirez has engaged in money laundering, Prime Minister Pedro Cateriano told the Foreign Press Association. The accusations are “extremely serious” because they concern one of the most senior figures in Fuerza Popular, Cateriano said. He acknowledged, however, that the Peruvian government had no information or evidence that Ramirez was under investigation by the DEA. The media account accused Ramirez of having laundered money for Keiko Fujimori’s unsuccessful 2011 presidential campaign. Keiko Fujimori, daughter of disgraced former President Alberto Fujimori, enjoys a narrow lead in the polls over Pedro Pablo Kuczynski ahead of the June 5 presidential runoff. Keiko spoke out Monday to reject charges of any questionable financial dealings. Late Monday, the DEA took the unusual step of officially denying that it has ever undertaken an investigation of Keiko Fujimori. |