Ecuador's Former President Abdala Bucaram Sentenced for Corruption

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 nine years and four months. Bucaram was found guilty of corruption and sentenced on Wednesday for being a collaborator in organized crime. His son, Jacob Bucaram, was also sentenced for the illegal sale of at least 21,000 COVID-19 tests and other medical supplies during the pandemic in 2020. The trial lasted six years and continued following an appeal from the attorney general's office after a judge dismissed the charges against Bucaram and his son in 2021. Bucaram heard the decision remotely from a guarded clinic in Guayaquil where he was receiving medical care. He was arrested in 2020 following a raid on his home in Guayaquil and was placed under house arrest due to health issues. The former president has undergone surgery for heart problems and was admitted to intensive care. Bucaram posted a message on X stating that he had requested to be discharged from the clinic 'despite being at risk of sudden death.' He added, 'I will be able to defend myself, and the country will learn horrifying things about this process.' According to the investigation, COVID-19 tests were illegally transferred to Bucaram's residence, which was guarded by Quito traffic agents. The public prosecutor's office reported that the tests and medical supplies were sold in various provinces of the country 'without invoices and without paying taxes to the state.' Bucaram was removed from office in 1997 after being declared mentally unfit to rule and had lived in exile in Panama for nearly two decades before returning to Ecuador in 2017.