Court Frees Ex-President From Long House Arrest
Former President Carlos Menem was freed from house arrest, cleared by Argentina’s Supreme Court of charges he ran an illicit arms smuggling ring while in office.
The court threw out charges that Menem and three aides smuggled weapons to Croatia and Ecuador in the 1990s.
Menem, 71, who ruled from 1989 to 1999, heard the ruling in court, then returned to the same luxury chalet near Buenos Aires where he had been confined for five months.
Menem, head of the opposition Peronist Party, has said he wants to run for president in 2003; however, he still faces charges including money laundering.
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