Argentine ex-President Menem refuses to testify (Bush family friend)

[Judi Lynn]

Argentine ex-President Menem refuses to testify

1 day ago

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Former Argentine President Carlos Menem has refused to testify in his trial on charges of illegally trafficking arms during the 1990s.

Maximiliano Rusconi is the ex-president's lawyer. He says he advised Menem not to testify before the three-judge panel because the accusations are "illegitimate."

Menem did not make public comments Friday and the courtroom was closed to reporters. It was his first appearance at the trial, after being ordered last week to show up.

Menem served from 1989 to 1999. Prosecutors accuse him and 17 others of selling artillery, anti-tank missiles, mortars and rifles to Croatia and Ecuador in violation of U.N. and Organization of American States bans.

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