Panama Ex-President
Perez Under House Arrest
PANAMA (Associated Press) Former president
Ernesto Perez Balladares was put under house
arrest Thursday while authorities
investigate accusations that he laundered
money.
Perez, who was in office from 1994 to 1999,
is suspected of accepting an unspecified
amount of money from a casino called Lucky
Games SA.
During his term, the government granted the
casino an operating license.
Organized crime prosecutor Jose Ayu said he
issued the order to ensure Perez does not
leave the country.
The former president has refused to comment
on the case, but his Democratic
Revolutionary Party calls the accusations
politically motivated.
The 63-year-old leader was voted into office
in 1994, in what is considered the Central
American nation's first democratic election
after following a U.S. invasion to topple
strongman Manuel Noriega in 1989.
Opponents accuse Perez of living lavishly
from the proceeds of illegal dealings during
his time in office.
Perez, who owns several luxury homes, a
plane, a yacht and luxury cars, says he
earned his wealth legally.
It is the first time a former president has
been placed under arrest in Panama, where
allegations of wrongdoing against
politicians rarely gain traction.
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