MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Warrant issued for former Argentine president.

A Buenos Aires judge on Tuesday ordered the extradition of Carlos Menem, Argentina's flamboyant former president, from Chile after Mr Menem failed to appear in court.

Mr Menem, 73, is wanted for questioning over his role in a corruption scandal involving the construction of two prisons during the 1990s. His government is thought to have paid about 60m pesos - equivalent to US$60m at the time and more than the true value of the contracts. If implicated, Mr Menem could face up to six years in prison.

The former president, who lives in neighbouring Chile with Cecilia Bolocco, his wife and a former Miss Universe, had had until midday Tuesday to appear in court. Before Jorge Urso, the judge presiding over the case, ordered the extradition proceedings, Mr Menem's lawyers accused him of bias and demanded his replacement.

Earlier this year, Mr Menem accused another judge of bias in a case involving his failure to disclose a Swiss bank account containing $600,000 (£335,000).

Legal experts said his time was running out. "Menem is using all the tricks in the book to spin this process out, but he can't do that forever," said Daniel Sabsay, a law professor at the University of Buenos Aires. "If this had been a normal person, authorities would have ordered his arrest months ago, and could even have applied fines for deliberately delaying the case."

During the 1990s, Mr Menem's government had to fend off wave after wave of corruption allegations. Many of his ministers have since been investigated for alleged wrongdoing. In 2001 Mr Menem was placed under house arrest for months while under investigation for alleged illegal arms sales to Ecuador and Croatia. He was released following a Supreme Court decision. But it is believed that case may be reopened.

Mr Menem protests his innocence. He insists that his legal problems are the product of a campaign against him by his political enemies.

Political analysts do not agree. "This has nothing to do with political persecution. The justice system is carrying out these investigations, not the government," said Roberto Bacman, director of the Centre of Public Opinion Studies in Buenos Aires. "Menem is simply paying the price for his government's messy administration."