Argentina: Ex-President Is Convicted

An appeals court in Argentina convicted former President Carlos Saúl Menem on Friday of smuggling contraband weapons in the 1990s. Weapons and munitions officially destined to Panama and Venezuela ended up in Ecuador during its brief war with Peru, violating a bilateral peace agreement, and in Croatia during the dissolution of the former Yugoslavia amid an international weapons embargo. The ruling overturned a lower court’s 2011 acquittal of Mr. Menem, left, whose 1989-1999 presidency was marred by accusations of corruption and graft. Mr. Menem, who denies being part of the arms conspiracy, served six months on house arrest on the same charges in 2001, but was freed following a Supreme Court ruling. As a senator, Mr. Menem, 82, is shielded from further imprisonment and may appeal the conviction before the Supreme Court.

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