Ecuador's former president Abdala Bucaram was convicted on Wednesday of corruption and sentenced to nine years and four months in prison for his role in an organized crime scheme involving the illegal sale of COVID-19 tests and medical supplies. His son, Jacob Bucaram, received the same sentence. The court found that during the 2020 pandemic, at least 21,000 COVID-19 tests and other medical items were illegally diverted and sold.

According to the investigation, the tests were transferred to Bucaram's residence in Guayaquil, which was guarded by Quito traffic agents. The public prosecutor's office stated that the tests and supplies were sold across various provinces "without invoices and without paying taxes to the state." The trial lasted six years, surviving an appeal from the attorney general's office after a judge dismissed the charges against Bucaram and his son in 2021.

The 74-year-old heard the verdict remotely from a guarded clinic in Guayaquil, where he is receiving medical care. Under Ecuadorian law, he may serve his sentence under house arrest due to his age. Bucaram was arrested in 2020 following a raid on his home but was initially placed under house arrest because of health problems. He has undergone heart surgery and was admitted to intensive care.

In a message on X, Bucaram said 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." Bucaram was removed from office in 1997 after being declared mentally unfit to rule and lived in exile in Panama for nearly two decades before returning to Ecuador in 2017.

Source: www.dw.com