Nicaragua Judge Grants
Parole To Ex-President
Arnoldo Aleman
A Nicaraguan judge has
granted parole to former
President Arnoldo Aleman,
reversing an earlier
court order that he
serve out a 20-year
conviction on money
laundering charges under
house arrest.
Aleman announced the
ruling Friday during a
news conference, and
denied allegations that
it was a result of a
pact with the governing
Sandinista party.
Aleman was convicted and
sentenced for money
laundering and
embezzlement in 2003 but
was later freed under a
restricted parole that
allowed him to move
freely within the
capital, Managua.
That was loosened in
early 2007 by
Nicaragua's prison
system, which allowed
Aleman to travel
throughout the country
but not go abroad.
In December, an appeals
court reversed that
decision and ordered
Aleman to serve his
sentence under house
arrest.
Aleman, who governed
Nicaragua from 1997 to
2002, is accused of
using 60 bank accounts
in Panama to launder
about $58 million
allegedly stolen from
Nicaraguan government
coffers. He denies the
charges and an appeal of
his conviction is
pending in Nicaragua's
Supreme Court.
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