Ex-President jailed for 20 years over €92m fraud

A judge has sentenced former Nicaraguan president Arnoldo Aleman to 20 years in jail on money laundering and other charges.

But Aleman, 57, who has been diagnosed with diabetes, hypertension and heart problems, is likely to serve his sentence at his El Chile ranch 17 miles south of Managua.

Aleman was accused of illegally diverting about €92m in government funds to his party's election campaigns during his time in office, which ended in January 2002.

Handing down the sentence, judge Juana Mendez cited crimes of fraud, misappropriation of public funds, embezzlement, criminal association and electoral violations endangering the state.

Judge Mendez also stripped Aleman of his ability to serve in Congress for the duration of the sentence and imposed a fine of about €9.2m, in the first trial and conviction of a former president in Nicaragua.

Judge Mendez's decision in late November to release Aleman from jail to a house arrest provoked international concern that the judicial process had been compromised.

The judge described how Aleman and officials high up in his administration formed anonymous societies in Panama where public funds from Nicaragua were laundered and mixed with political donations.

"The money was used for the benefit of Aleman and his family and electoral campaigns of the Liberal Constitutional Party," Judge Mendez said.

Aleman became a senator upon leaving office but was stripped of the legislative immunity from criminal prosecution.

During his trial, Aleman continued to direct affairs of the centre-right governing party from jail by mobile phone and receive government officials as visitors under house arrest.

Nicaragua's prison system will thrash out the conditions of Aleman's confinement with police.

Outside the hearing on Sunday, police used tear gas to disperse dozens of rock-throwing protesters.