Peru's ex-leader Fijumori gets 8 more years in jail

Peru's former President Alberto Fujimori waves to the media as he arrives in court for the sentencing in his trial on charges of embezzling state funds to manipulate the media during his tenure as president, in Lima January 8, 2015. [Photo/Agencies]

LIMA - Peru's former president Alberto Fujimori, who is now serving a 25-year jail term, was sentenced to eight more years in prison Thursday on embezzlement charges.

Fujimori, 76, was convicted by Lima's Supreme Court (CSL) of embezzling 122 million new soles (about 41 million U.S. dollars) in public funds to buy favorable press coverage during his 2000 reelection campaign.

He was also ordered to pay 1 million dollars for ordering funds diverted from the Armed Forces and National Intelligence Service to newspapers to discredit his political opponents.

The sentence is the fifth handed down against the former president since he was extradited from Chile in 2007, and will begin in April 2021.

Fujimori, who was in office from 1990 to 2000, is currently serving a 25-year jail term over the killing of 25 people by a government-backed death squad against guerilla forces during his tenure.

According to Peruvian law, sentences can not be served simultaneously.

In his last court testimony on Dec. 29, Fujimori pleaded innocence.