QUITO, April 7 (Reuters) - An Ecuadorian court found the former president guilty on Tuesday Rafael Correa and dictated eight years in prison against him, accusing him of being the "mediate author" of improper charges to contractors to finance the electoral campaigns of his political movement between 2012 and 2016.
The resolution of the National Court of Justice court, which allows an appeal, also includes former vice president Jorge Glas, currently in prison for the corruption network of the Brazilian Odebrecht, and other former officials and businessmen who would have been part of the bribery scheme.
The court considered that Correa had knowledge of the "improper funds to position his political movement," so it decided to sentence him to eight years in prison and the "loss of (political) participation rights for 25 years," according to the resolution.
The Ecuadorian prosecutor's office requested the maximum sentence in the trial that began in February of this year for the crime of bribery against some 20 former officials and businessmen, including the former president, who currently resides in Belgium.
Correa has denied the prosecutor's accusations and has said that it is a political persecution by President Lenín Moreno, whom he supported to become president in May 2017.
Correa's defense told Reuters who will appeal the ruling.
"Well, this was what they were looking for: handling justice (to) achieve what they never could at the polls. I'm fine. I'm worried about my colleagues," Correa said on his Twitter account.
"We will surely win at the international level, because everything is a nonsense, but it takes years. Whether this nightmare ends depends on your vote," he added.
During the investigation, the prosecutor's office accused the former president of leading a "hierarchical structure" to raise funds from state contracting companies for more than 7.5 million dollars to finance some electoral campaigns in exchange for the awarding of infrastructure works contracts.
Correa has not openly said whether he will run for president in 2021, but he frequently talks about "taking back the Homeland." However, the withdrawal of his political rights could disrupt his plans.
(Reporting by Alexandra Valencia and José Llangarí. Editing by Javier Leira and Rodrigo Charme)
What do you think?
COMMENTFiled in: