Former Argentine leader acquitted in bribery case

Buenos Aires (AFP) - Argentina's former president Fernando de la Rua, accused of ordering the payment of bribes to senators in 2000, was acquitted Monday in a federal court in Buenos Aires.

A former legislative aide, Mario Pontaquarto, had alleged that bribes were paid so that the senators would approve the disputed labor reform bill, which had been demanded by the International Monetary Fund.

Prosecutors, who had asked that De La Rua be sent to prison for six years, can appeal the verdict.

"This decision gives us back our dignity, me and my government," the 76-year-old De La Rua said. Seven other co-defendants, including a former labor minister, were also acquitted.

"The absence of any hint of corruption has been demonstrated," De La Rua added as he left the courthouse, denouncing what he called a "political plot."

The labor reform measures allowed firms to hire workers with fewer conditions for shorter periods of time.

The scandal over possible bribes contributed to a political crisis and the worst economic collapse in Argentina's history, which led De La Rua to flee the presidential palace in a helicopter as protesters swarmed.

Pontaquarto said the verdict was "shameful," insisting that the decision to pay bribes was made at a meeting at the presidential palace attended by De La Rua.

The aide said he was also tasked with acquiring the equivalent of $5 million from the headquarters of the country's intelligence headquarters.

De La Rua has steadfastly protested his innocence.

His name came up in the context of a case on police repression of protests in December 2001 that led to about 30 deaths, but he was never charged.

His predecessor, Carlos Menem, has also run into trouble with the law. In June, he was sentenced to seven years in prison for organizing contraband arms shipments to Croatia and Ecuador while in office.