At 86, ex-leader seeks re-election immunity

ARGENTINE expresident Carlos Menem is running for parliament again at age 86, a move that could enable him to continue to dodge prison time over a string of criminal convictions.

President from 1989 to 1999 and a senator since 2005, Menem has been convicted of arms trafficking and corruption, but has so far escaped prison time thanks to his parliamentary immunity.

If elected, Menem – who announced his candidacy in the country’s October elections on Twitter – would be 91 by the end of his four-year term. In 2013 he was sentenced to seven years for trafficking arms to Croatia and Ecuador, a sentence upheld by Argentina’s top court.