A parole has been granted to former Nicaraguan President Arnoldo Aleman who was under house arrest for money laundering and embezzlement, Aleman told a news conference Friday.

The ruling reversed an earlier court order that subjected Aleman to a 20-year conviction under house arrest.

The former president denied allegations that the court ruling was a result of a deal with the ruling party.

Aleman, who ruled Nicaragua from 1997 to 2002, was sentenced in 2003 for money laundering and embezzlement. He was accused of using bank accounts in Panama to launder millions of dollars allegedly embezzled from the Nicaraguan government.

Aleman denied the charges and appealed to the country's supreme court.
 
(Xinhua News Agency January 12, 2008)