Vladimiro Montesinos | |
|---|---|
 Montesinos in 2023 | |
| Director of the National Intelligence Service | |
| In office 28 July 1990 – 14 September 2000 | |
| President | Alberto Fujimori |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Vladimiro Lenin Ilich Montesinos Torres 20 May 1945 Arequipa, Peru |
| Political party | Cambio 90 (1990–2001) New Majority (1990–2001) |
| Other political affiliations | Peru 2000 (1999–2001) Alliance for the Future (2005–2010) |
| Spouse |
Trinidad Becerra
(m. 1973; div. 2001) |
| Children | Silvana Montesinos Becerra |
| Alma mater | U.S. Army's School of the Americas Military School of Chorillos |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Peru |
| Branch/service |  Peruvian Army |
| Rank |  Captain |
Vladimiro Lenin Ilich Montesinos Torres (Spanish pronunciation: [bla.ð̞iˌmi.ɾo ˌle.nĩn iˌlit͡ʃ mõn̪.t̪eˌsi.nos ˈt̪o.res]; born May 20, 1945) is a Peruvian former intelligence officer and lawyer, most notorious for his role as the head of Peru's National Intelligence Service (SIN) during the presidency of Alberto Fujimori. Montesinos wielded significant power behind the scenes, often regarded as the true authority in the government, supported by the Peruvian Armed Forces.[1][2]
Montesinos' career was marked by his deep connections with the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), through which he received substantial funding ostensibly for anti-terrorism efforts. His tenure saw numerous human rights abuses and corruption scandals.[3] The "Vladi-videos," secretly recorded tapes showing Montesinos bribing officials, led to a national scandal in 2000. This exposure forced him to flee Peru and precipitated Fujimori's resignation.
Investigations unveiled Montesinos' involvement in a wide range of illegal activities, including embezzlement, drug trafficking, and orchestrating extrajudicial killings. He was subsequently captured, tried, and convicted on multiple charges. Despite his imprisonment, Montesinos continued to influence Peruvian politics and sought to protect allies within the Fujimorist faction, including Keiko Fujimori.
Montesinos' early life was influenced by his communist parents and his cousin, a leader of the Shining Path guerrilla group. He received military training in the U.S. and Peru, later becoming involved in intelligence and political advisory roles. His legal career, following a brief imprisonment for espionage, was marred by fraudulent activities and associations with drug traffickers.
| Part of a series on |
| Conservatism in Peru |
|---|
.svg) |
- ^ • McMillan, John; Zoido, Pablo (Autumn 2004). "How to Subvert Democracy: Montesinos in Peru". The Journal of Economic Perspectives. 18 (4): 69. doi:10.1257/0895330042632690. hdl:10419/76612. S2CID 219372153.
In the 1990s, Peru was run ... by its secret-police chief, Vladimiro Montesinos Torres.
- Vargas Llosa, Mario (27 March 1994). "Ideas & Trends: In His Words; Unmasking the Killers in Peru Won't Bring Democracy Back to Life". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
The coup of April 5, 1992, carried out by high-ranking military felons who used the President of the Republic himself as their figurehead, had as one of its stated objectives a guaranteed free hand for the armed forces in the anti-subversion campaign, the same armed forces for whom the democratic system – a critical Congress, an independent judiciary, a free press – constituted an intolerable obstacle.
- "Spymaster". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. August 2002. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
Lester: Though few questioned it, Montesinos was a novel choice. Peru's army had banished him for selling secrets to America's CIA, but he'd prospered as a defence lawyer – for accused drug traffickers. ... Lester: Did Fujmori control Montesinos or did Montesinos control Fujimori? ... Shifter: As information comes out, it seems increasingly clear that Montesinos was the power in Peru.
- Keller, Paul (26 October 2000). "Fujimori in OAS talks PERU CRISIS UNCERTAINTY DEEPENS AFTER RETURN OF EX-SPY CHIEF". Financial Times.
Mr Montesinos ... and his military faction, ... for the moment, has chosen to keep Mr Fujimori as its civilian figurehead
- "THE CRISIS OF DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE IN THE ANDES" (PDF). Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. 2001. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
Alberto Fujimori,... as later events would seem to confirm—merely the figurehead of a regime governed for all practical purposes by the Intelligence Service and the leadership of the armed forces
- "Questions And Answers: Mario Vargas Llosa". Newsweek. 9 January 2001. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
Fujimori became a kind of, well, a figurehead
- Vargas Llosa, Mario (27 March 1994). "Ideas & Trends: In His Words; Unmasking the Killers in Peru Won't Bring Democracy Back to Life". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
- ^ "Who is Controlling Whom?" (PDF). United States Army Intelligence and Threat Analysis Center. 23 October 1990.
- ^ "Spymaster". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. August 2002. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
Lester: Though few questioned it, Montesinos was a novel choice. Peru's army had banished him for selling secrets to America's CIA, but he'd prospered as a defence lawyer – for accused drug traffickers. ... Lester: Did Fujmori control Montesinos or did Montesinos control Fujimori? ... Shifter: As information comes out, it seems increasingly clear that Montesinos was the power in Peru.