A court in Ecuador has sentenced former President Jamil Mahuad in absentia to 12 years in jail for
embezzlement…BBC Reports
The ruling comes two days after Interpol issued a warrant
for his arrest. He denies any wrongdoing.
Mr Mahuad fled to the United States in 2000 after a military
coup. He was accused of ordering banks to close for several days and freezing
the accounts of ordinary citizens to protect the interests of bankers
associated with him.
The decision, taken in March 1999, came during a serious
economic crisis. Ecuador was struggling at the time with high inflation, a
devalued currency and historically low prices for oil, its main export.
Mr Mahuad had been in office for less than a year.
"The crime
committed by the accused caused huge social turmoil," Judge Ximena Vintimilla said in her
ruling. "Its consequences are still
being felt by Ecuadorean society to this day," she added.
'Political persecution'
On Tuesday, Interpol issued an international warrant for Mr
Mahuad.
He released a statement saying the case against him was
politically charged.
Mr Mahuad accused the left-wing government of the current
President, Rafael Correa, of meddling in the judiciary system.
"The whole world
knows the current situation faced by Ecuador's legal system and its role in the
persecution of journalists and critics of the government," he said in
a statement.
The Ecuadorean government rejects the allegations.
"There's no
political persecution here. What Ecuadorean justice seeks is the punishment of
common criminal acts," Interior Minister Jose Serrano told reporters
on Tuesday.
Mr Mahuad's
supporters say he should be remembered for his battle to save the country's
economy and for signing a peace treaty with Peru.
The two countries had a brief border conflict in 1995 and
were on the brink of a new war when Mr Mahuad took office in 1998.
The decision led to Mr Mahuad and his Peruvian counterpart,
Alberto Fujimori, being nominated for the Nobel peace prize.
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