Fujimori supporters say he saved Peru from economic and political chaos[AFP]

Alberto Fujimori remains a divisive figure in Peru, praised by some for forging economic and political stability after decades of mismanagement and violence, and reviled by others for alleged human rights abuses committed while in power.

Sharing his birthday with Peru's independence day, Fujimori - born to immigrant Japanese parents on July 28, - has had a tumultuous life.

Once the powerful president of Peru, Fujimori, is currently in jail, serving time for abuse of power.

And after being found guilty of murders and kidnapping charges following a 15-month trial in Lima in relation to Peru's bloody battle against Shining Path rebels, his fall is now complete.

Strong president

His fall has been as remarkable as his meteoric political rise.

In 1990 following a career as an academic specialising in engineering and mathematics, he was unexpectedly elected president after defeating Mario Vargas Llosa, the renowned novelist, whom he portrayed as the candidate of the Peruvian elite.

As Latin America's first president of Asian descent, Fujimori inherited a nation blighted by hyperinflation and political violence.

He immediately set about tackling both. He forged a reputation as a strongman, privatising hundreds of state-owned companies and establishing a poverty fund.

To carry out his tough economic and political goals, Fujimori temporarily disbanded the legislature, stacked the courts with loyalists, and put pressure on Peru's media.

Fujimori has remained defiant and denied the charges levelled against him [Reuters]

These accusations worsened as, alongside the economic battle, Peru became embroiled in a bloody internal war with the Maoist rebel group, the Shining Path.

The conflict resulted in atrocities on both sides and the deaths of an estimated 70,000 people.

Fujimori scored a major victory in 1992 when Abimael Guzman, the founder of Shining Path, was captured. The group's leadership quickly collapsed thereafter, and Shining Path lost much of its influence and support.

Fujimori 's popularity peaked in 1995 when he won a second term defeating Javier Perez de Cuellar, a former United Nations secretary-general.

Abuse allegations

However, critics say there was a sinister side to the crackdown on the Shining Path.

Peruvian prosecutors have accused Fujimori of ordering a death squad to carry out two notorious massacres - known as Barrios Altos and La Cantuta - in the early 1990s, in which students, a professor and a young child were among the two dozen people killed.

He is also accused of ordering the kidnappings of a Peruvian journalist and a businessman, both of whom were critical of his government.

In 1997, he gained global attention by forcefully ending a four-month hostage crisis at the Japanese ambassador's residence in the Peruvian capital, Lima, where more than 500 people were held by left-wing rebels.

Fujimori blamed Montesinos for the political meltdown after the 2000 poll [Reuters]

Election irregularities, which narrowly handed him a third term in 2000, prompted demonstrations and allegations of corruption.

Fujimori was forced to flee to Japan, from where he faxed his resignation letter.

He blamed Montesinos for the excesses and his political misfortune.

Confiscated video tapes - dubbed "Vladi-videos"- aired on Peruvian television showed Montesinos giving large amounts of cash to politicians, journalists and businessmen to keep Peru running the way the president wished.

Fujimori attempted to launch a new bid for the Peruvian presidency in 2005 but was arrested in Chile in 2005 and extradited to Peru to face trial.

He was eventually sentenced to six years in prison after being found guilty of ordering an illegal search of Montesinos' wife's apartment and removing sensitive audio and video tapes.

Fujimori's private life has often been as turbulent as his political one.

Now married to a wealthy Japanese businesswoman, Fujimori had an acrimonious split from Susana Higuchi, his first wife, who accused him of having her kidnapped and tortured.

He separated from Higuchi in 1994 and stripped her of the title of first lady.

Fujimori still retains some support in Peru. His supporters say he saved the nation from economic meltdown and a bloody rebel war that threatened to destabilise the nation.

"The Peru that I inherited was a disaster. It was a Peru that had to be rescued," Fujimori told the court, protesting his innocence.