The Nicaraguan "left"

Unfortunately for Nicaraguan democracy, we have yet another example of how Daniel Ortega is not so much part of a Latin American leftist wave as he is an extraordinarily corrupt politician. His past deals with the Nicaraguan right are well known, and here we go again. From the Miami Herald:

In a ruling criticized as ''another mockery of Nicaraguan justice,'' the country's Supreme Court on Friday overturned the money laundering conviction of former President Arnoldo Alemán, setting him free after serving only four years of a 20-year sentence for allegedly bilking the country out of $100 million.

In a strong sign of a deal, shortly after the disgraced Liberal Constitutional Party (PLC) boss was freed, President Daniel Ortega's Sandinista Front won the presidency of the National Assembly, effectively giving the Sandinistas control over all four branches of government.

Alemán thanked "God and the Virgin" for his release.