Ecuador: Ex-president Bucaram sentenced in corruption case
Abdala Bucaram, Ecuador's former president, was convicted of organized crime for his role in the illegal sale of COVID-19 tests and medical supplies, receiving a prison sentence of over nine years.
Former Ecuadorian President Abdala Bucaram was convicted of corruption and sentenced to nine years and four months in prison, according to prosecutors. Bucaram's son, Jacob Bucaram, received a sentence as well for his involvement in the illegal sale of COVID-19 tests and other medical supplies during the pandemic in 2020. The lengthy trial, which lasted six years, resumed after an appeal from the attorney general's office, following a judge's dismissal of the charges against Bucaram and his son in 2021.
Bucaram, who is currently receiving medical care at a guarded clinic in Guayaquil, was arrested in 2020 following a raid on his home. He had been placed under house arrest due to his health issues, which included heart problems and a recent stay in intensive care. In a statement to X, Bucaram expressed his intention to defend himself and claimed that the process would reveal troubling aspects of the case.
The investigation revealed that COVID-19 tests and medical supplies were illegally transferred to Bucaram's residence, guarded by Quito traffic agents, and subsequently sold across the country without proper documentation or taxation. Bucaram served as president from 1996 to 1997 after being declared unfit to govern, and had been living in exile in Panama for about two decades before returning to Ecuador in 2017.
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