MANAGUA, Nicaragua — A federal judge sentenced former Nicaraguan President Arnoldo Aleman to 20 years in prison Sunday on corruption and money laundering charges.
Aleman was accused of illegally diverting some $100 million in government funds to his party's election campaigns during his tenure in office, which ended in January 2002.
Handing down the sentence Sunday, judge Juana Mendez cited crimes of fraud, misappropriation of public funds, embezzlement, criminal association and electoral violations endangering the state.
Mendez also stripped Aleman of his ability to serve in congress and imposed a fine of $10 million.
It is the first time a former president has been convicted in Nicaragua.
Aleman, 57, has been diagnosed with diabetes, hypertension and heart problems and is likely to serve his sentence at his El Chile ranch 17 miles south of Managua because of health concerns.
Police used tear gas to disperse rock-throwing protesters outside the hearing on Sunday.
President Enrique Bolanos — once Aleman's vice president and hand-picked successor — took office promising to stamp out corruption, a campaign that placed him at direct odds with Aleman.
Aleman became a senator upon leaving office but was stripped of the immunity from criminal prosecution that is normally extended to lawmakers.
The judge's decision in late November to release Aleman from jail to a house arrest during the trial provoked international concern that the judicial process had been compromised.
The U.S. State Department called the decision "a politically manipulated decision" and said that the Nicaraguan judicial system was "widely recognized as corrupt and politicized."
The Nicaraguan Supreme Court warned the United States to stay out of its business. The United States then suspended assistance to Nicaragua's judiciary.