TEHRAN Ignoring allegations of human rights abuses and drug trafficking, the CIA paid the jailed former head of Peru's Security Service Vladimiro Montesinos one million dollars a year for the past decade, according to a report by *** Knight Ridder *** newspaper. The Central Intelligence Agency told Peruvian investigators that it had been making the payments from 1990 to 2000 to secure Montesinos' cooperation in the anti-drug campaign, the report said.

Peruvian investigators are now trying to determine whether Montesinos diverted any of this money into his own pockets, *** Knight Ridder *** said.

At least 270 million dollars allegedly belonging to Montesinos have been found in secret bank accounts in Miami, New York and elsewhere around the globe, according to the report.

Montesinos, 55, is awaiting, in a Peruvian navy jail, formal indictment on as many as 140 corruption-related charges, including drug trafficking, money laundering, illegal arms sales and blackmail, said an AFP report.

His flight from Peru in October brought down President Alberto Fujimori, who fled to Japan and is resisting Peru's efforts to have him extradited.

The former Peruvian spy master was captured in Venezuela on June 23 and deported to Peru.

According to *** Knight Ridder ***, a declassified drug enforcement administration document from August 1996 shows that U.S. authorities were aware of allegations that Montesinos and Peruvian General Nicolas Hermoza Rios, who is now also in jail, were taking protection money from drug traffickers.

In the meantime, reports from Washington said that the U.S. citizens are skeptical toward the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Rober Mueller, the new head of FBI told the Congress on Monday that it would bring back the trust of the people toward FBI, but did not elaborate the reasons behind the skepticism.

A report on July 3 said that FBI has been spying on American citizens. A CBS report said that documents are in hand which indicate FBI's espionage on American citizens during the 80s.