Ecuadorean court sentences former President Bucaram in COVID corruption case

An Ecuadorean court sentenced former President Abdala Bucaram to nine years and four months in prison for his involvement in a criminal organization that fraudulently sold medical supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic. Bucaram, who served as president from August 1996 to February 1997, may be allowed to serve his sentence under house arrest due to his age, in accordance with Ecuadorean law. His son, Jacobo Bucaram, was also convicted in the same case and received the same sentence. Bucaram's lawyers did not comment on the ruling, and he could still appeal the sentence. The Attorney General's Office accused four individuals of obtaining financial benefits by negotiating the purchase of approximately 21,000 rapid COVID-19 tests and other medical supplies between March and August 2020, a period when Ecuador was experiencing a severe outbreak of the pandemic. A former traffic officer was sentenced to 13 years and four months, while an Israeli citizen received a reduced sentence of two years and eight months for cooperating with the trial. Bucaram participated in the hearing via video conference from a hospital in Guayaquil, where he is being treated for heart problems.