IMF man facing graft charge bailed in Argentina Reuters, 02.15.03, 5:45 PM ET
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (Reuters) - An International Monetary Fund employee, arrested on corruption charges linked to his stint as Peru's economy chief under disgraced ex-President Alberto Fujimori, was freed on bail Saturday pending checks on whether he will face extradition, a court official said. Jorge Baca Campodonico, Peru's economy minister from June 1998 to January 1999, was arrested Thursday by Interpol on charges police say are linked to Peru's ex-spy chief, Vladimiro Montesinos, in a case of misdirected public funds. The IMF Friday voiced concern at the detention of its "technical assistance adviser," who came to Buenos Aires as part of a mission to review crisis-ravaged Argentina's fiscal accounts, and arranged legal representation for him. "He cannot leave the country," the court official said, adding Baca Campodonico had paid around $10,000 bail. The Federal Judge overseeing the case was trying to ascertain whether he had diplomatic immunity. Baca Campodonico is accused by Peruvian authorities of illegally enriching himself and violating the public's trust. An Argentine federal police spokeswoman said after his arrest that he was "linked to the corruption network of Vladimiro Montesinos." Federal Judge Rodolfo Canicoba Corral said Friday Baca Campodonico had a U.N. passport, but added that did not necessarily mean he had diplomatic immunity. IMF officials benefit from such immunity depending on their rank and the jobs they were carrying out, he added. The Argentine government, which has only just managed to clinch a deal to delay having to pay nearly $7 billion in debt it owes the fund in coming months after a year of tortuous negotiations, has sought to distance itself from the arrest. Copyright 2003, Reuters News Service Tom Walker 604 255 4812
