The decision by the supreme court in Santiago on Friday is final, and Fujimori is expected to be placed under arrest and flown to Peru immediately. Human Rights Watch said Friday it was the first time a court anywhere in the world had ordered the extradition of a former leader to be tried in his home country for human rights violations.

“After years of evading justice, Fujimori will finally have to respond to the charges and evidence against him in the country he used to run like a mafia boss," said José Miguel Vivanco, Americas director for the Washington-based rights group.

Fujimori has repeatedly denied the charges, calling them politically motivated.

“This decision will allow what should have happened before — that Fujimori be judged in his country and by Peruvian judges,” said Alfredo Etcheberry, the lead lawyer arguing for extradition. “It is the Peruvian people who have to speak. The only role of Chile is to not be an obstacle in that.”

“This (verdict) was predictable,” said Fujimori in a radio interview from his home in Santiago. “My objective is to reunite with the (Peruvian) people.”

While acknowledging his government committed “terrible mistakes”, he said: “In the trials themselves, I will show that I acted in a correct manner.”

His Chilean lawyer, Gabriel Zaliasnik, said Fujimori would not try to stall the extradition. “We are not planning to seek any delays or attempt any kind of manoeuvres,” said Mr Zaliasnik.

As a political figure and a former head of state, Fujimori will apparently be held in a special facility inside a regular prison awaiting his trial, which could easily last more than a year.  Fujimori’s former spy chief, Vladimiro Montesinos, who was arrested in Venezuela in June 2001, has been on trial for six years on multiple charges.

Human rights groups in Peru and New York welcomed the “landmark” decision. “There is nothing comparable to this in modern history,” said Vivanco, who noted that former heads of state have typically argued they are above the law or successfully petitioned for political asylum to prevent prosecution for human rights crimes.

Seven-year saga
The extradition of Fujimori, 69, ends a seven-year saga for the controversial former president who fled Peru in 2000, after ruling the country for 10 years.  Fujimori, the son of Japanese immigrants, fled during an Apec conference in Brunei in November 2000. He then flew to Tokyo and faxed in his resignation as president.

Fujimori’s 1990-2000 regime covered a volatile period in Peruvian history. Faced with chaos, he took extraordinary steps to centralise power. While many Peruvians thank him for defeating the bloodthirsty guerrillas Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path), he is accused of stealing millions of dollars from the government.