Former Argentine
President Absent From
Trial On Illegal Arms
Sales
BUENOS AIRES - Trial
against former Argentine
President Carlos Saul
Menem on charges of
orchestrating illegal
arms sales to Ecuador
and Croatia in the early
1990s began Thursday.
But Menem did not attend
the trial and his lawyer
submitted a medical
document to the court,
alleging that
78-year-old Menem's poor
health prevents him from
appearing at the court.
The trial on charges of
illegally selling arms
to Ecuador and Croatia
in the early 1990s
involving former
Argentine President
Carlos Menem and former
high ranking government
officials is held in
Buenos Aires, capital of
Argentina, on Oct. 16,
2008. Menem, 78, was not
seen at the court
because of health
problems.
The prosecutor at the
court accused the former
head of state of
violating international
arms embargoes by
authorizing the shipment
of 6,500 tons of
weapons, including
artillery, anti-tank
missiles, mortars and
rifles, to Ecuador and
Croatia in the 1990s.
At that time, the
Organization of American
States banned arms sales
to Ecuador and Peru as
the two were engaged in
border conflict, while
the United Nations
prohibited arms sales to
warring parties from the
former Yugoslavia,
including Croatia.
The prosecutor said
Menem's behavior also
produced a loss of some
400 million pesos (123
million U.S. dollars) to
Argentina.
Menem has denied such
allegations, saying he
signed decrees
forshipment but private
companies diverted the
destination without his
knowledge.
Besides the former
president, 17 other
former government
officials were also
charged with involvement
in the illegal arms
deal, including former
Defense Minister Oscar
Camilion and former air
force chief Juan Paulik.
The trial is expected to
last seven months, and
some 500 witnesses will
be called to testify.
If convicted, Menem will
face an imprisonment of
up to 12 years. He now
enjoys immunity from
imprisonment as a
senator. However, he
could be jailed if the
parliament deprives him
of the privilege or his
mandate ends in 2014 but
without a re-election.
Menem served as the
country's president in
the 1989-1999 period.
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