Carlos Menem, the Peronist president who declared he feared only God, apparently feared Argentine courts somewhat less — and with good reason, since it took them years to catch up with him. During his 1989–1999 presidency, Menem's government secretly exported arms to Ecuador and Croatia while both countries were under international arms embargoes, a scheme that became one of the most documented corruption scandals in Argentine history. Menem was placed under house arrest in 2001 while facing charges, then fled to Chile with his new partner after a baby conveniently arrived. Argentina repeatedly requested his extradition. The warrants were eventually cancelled, Menem returned, ran for president again in 2003, and — in a testament to either Argentine amnesia or Argentine despair — nearly won before withdrawing after the first round. The man was many things: free-market reformer, Falklands diplomat, and, per the news magazine Noticias, Argentina's 'most hated politician.' He died in 2021 at 90, having lived long enough to watch his country's economy collapse at least twice more without his direct assistance. The arms conviction, at least, is on the record.