Ecuador Ex-President Abdala Bucaram Sentenced for COVID-19 Medical Supply Fraud
An Ecuadorean court has sentenced former President Abdala Bucaram to nine years and four months in prison for his role in a criminal network accused of fraudulently selling medical supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bucaram, 74, who served as president from August 1996 until February 1997, could be allowed to serve his sentence under house arrest under Ecuadorean law, which provides alternative arrangements for elderly defendants, according to Reuters.
His son, Jacobo Bucaram, was also convicted and handed the same nine-year, four-month sentence.
In announcing the verdict, Ecuador’s Attorney General’s Office said the defendants had established an organised criminal structure that repeatedly and deliberately engaged in illegal activities. Bucaram’s lawyers have yet to issue a public response, although he has the right to appeal.
The case centred on the alleged fraudulent procurement and sale of about 21,000 rapid COVID-19 test kits and other medical equipment between March and August 2020, when Ecuador was battling one of Latin America’s most severe coronavirus outbreaks.
Two other defendants were also convicted. A former traffic police officer received a sentence of 13 years and four months, while an Israeli national was sentenced to two years and eight months after cooperating with investigators.
Bucaram, who has ongoing heart problems, followed the court proceedings by video link from a hospital in Guayaquil, the coastal city where he lives.
Investigators said traffic police officers provided security escorts for two foreign nationals who transported the medical supplies to Bucaram’s residence in Guayaquil.
According to prosecutors, members of the network posed as diplomatic officials or agents of the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) as part of the scheme.
One of the foreign nationals implicated in the case, identified only as Shy D, was killed inside a Guayaquil prison in August 2020, just days after giving testimony in connection with the investigation.
