Lima  - Former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori, who is currently under arrest facing human rights and corruption charges, had surgery "without complications" on Thursday.

Fujimori, 69, who ruled Peru from 1990-2000, withstood the operation under general anesthesia without trouble, a source close to the medical team told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa. He was expected to be taken to a recovery room, where doctors were to determine how long he was to remain in hospital.

Doctors at a state cancer clinic in Lima decided to operate on Fujimori's leukoplakia, which caused his tongue to itch and bleed, for fear that it might be cancerous. He had already undergone a similar operation 10 years ago, while he was Peruvian president.

Fujimori is currently being tried in Peru on several charges of human rights violations and corruption, and could face up to 35 years in jail.

The surgery was carried out under tight security.

This was the second time Fujimori left the police facility in which he has been held since he was extradited to Peru from Chile in September. Last week, he was taken to the same clinic for pre- surgical tests.

The court, which has been trying the former president since December 10, temporarily suspended the trial until next week so that he could undergo surgery.

Fujimori, who is of Japanese descent, holds Peruvian and Japanese citizenship. In 2000, he fled to Japan, resigning the presidency by fax during an overseas trip amid a scandal over alleged bribes to Peruvian legislators.

Japan does not extradite its citizens, so Fujimori, who still enjoys some political support in Peru, was safe from prosecution as long as he remained in his ancestral homeland.

In November 2005, he was arrested by Chilean authorities after returning to South America. (dpa)