Peru: Former First Lady Susanna Igucci dies - Political career and scandal
Former Peruvian first lady Susanna Igucci has died at the age of 71 after a long illness. The complaints against her husband, the scandal and their almost electoral contest.
Former Peruvian first lady Susanna Igucci, the former wife who became a vitriolic critic of Alberto Fujimori, president from 1990 to 2000, passed away Wednesday after a long illness, her family announced.
"After a long battle with cancer, our mother, Susanna Igutsi, has gone to meet God," said her daughter, Keiko Fuchimori, the leader of the opposition, a three-time presidential candidate who lost to all matches in the second round.
Who was Susanna Igucci?
The daughter of Japanese immigrants, Susanna Igucci, who was hospitalized in serious condition for almost a month, was 71 years old.
A civil engineer, he had four children with Alberto Fujimori and funded his campaign in 1990, when he was unable to raise funds. The candidate, probably unknown, overturned all the predictions and won the big favorite at the time, the writer Mario Vargas Giosa.
But in 1994, first lady Susanna Igucci made allegations that sparked a huge scandal against the then head of state: domestic violence, torture, corruption. They divorced her, which has already turned into a fierce battle.
In 1995, Susanna Igucci even tried to go to the polls with her ex-husband, but Alberto Fujimori in the meantime made sure to pass a law forbidding members of his family to succeed him.
She then embarked on a rather short political career; she was elected to Congress from 2001 to 2006 by an opposition party, which alienated her from part of her family.
However, she later reconciled with her children and supported her daughter, Keiko, in the 2016 and 2021 presidential elections.
She died "having the love of all of us, of her children and grandchildren, around her until the last moment," said Keiko Fuchimori, who has always claimed that her mother's accusations against her father were based on "rumors."
Former President Alberto Fujimori, 83, is currently being treated for heart problems under police guard. Since 2007 he has been serving a 25-year sentence for crimes against humanity and corruption in the 10 years he has been in power.
