Charged Penn State ex-president can’t travel to Saudi Arabia

    A Pennsylvania judge isn’t letting Penn State’s former president travel to Saudi Arabia while he awaits trial on charges he engaged in a criminal cover-up of child sexual abuse complaints about former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky.

    Dauphin County Judge Richard Lewis based his ruling Thursday regarding Graham Spanier (SPAN’-yur) on concerns that the U.S. doesn’t have an extradition treaty with the Persian Gulf nation.

    Lewis also denied a request by Spanier that his passport be returned permanently. He now has to seek its temporary return on a trip-by-trip basis.

    Spanier wants to travel to Saudi Arabia next month for work, to participate in seminars at the request of the Saudi Ministry of Education.

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    The case against Spanier and two other former high-ranking administrators is on appeal.

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