Managua - The former Nicaraguan president, Mr Daniel Ortega, told a judge that as a member of parliament he cannot be tried on charges of rape and sexual abuse and that his stepdaughter was conspiring to discredit him.
Mr Ortega (54) was not summoned by Judge Marta Quezada but appeared in her court voluntarily on Monday to present his credentials as a National Assembly member for the opposition Sandinista National Liberation Front, which he heads.
He asked the judge to dismiss the lawsuit brought against him by his stepdaughter, Ms Zoilamerica Narvaez (30), claiming parliamentary immunity from prosecution.