Six-Year Ecuador Corruption Trial Ends With Prison Term for Ex-President Bucaram

A long-running corruption case in Ecuador has ended with a nine-year, four-month prison sentence for former President Abdalá Bucaram and his son, Jacobo.

The case arose from allegations surrounding the illegal sale of medical supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic, including coronavirus testing kits.

Ecuador’s Attorney General’s Office announced the first-instance ruling on Wednesday, describing Bucaram and his son as collaborators in organised criminal activity.

The proceedings have lasted six years, making the judgment the latest development in a case that has remained in Ecuador’s courts for an extended period.

Bucaram received the ruling while at a clinic in Guayaquil, where he was undergoing treatment for heart problems. He followed the court proceedings remotely, with police officers guarding the medical facility.

Two other defendants whom prosecutors identified as the principal actors in the scheme were sentenced to 13 years and four months each.

The ruling adds another difficult chapter to Bucaram’s political and legal history.

He became president of Ecuador in 1996 but his administration was short-lived. Congress removed him from office in February 1997, citing physical and mental incapacity. Bucaram subsequently spent around two decades in exile in Panama.

His latest legal battle concerns events during the coronavirus pandemic, when Ecuador, like many other countries, faced extraordinary demand for medical equipment and testing materials.

The case suffered a major legal turn in 2021 when a judge dismissed the accusations against Bucaram and his son. The Attorney General’s Office appealed that decision, allowing the proceedings to continue and eventually resulting in the latest conviction.

The case has also been marked by violence. One of the people connected to the investigation was murdered in prison in August 2020.

Bucaram has continued to challenge the handling of the proceedings. Before the judgment, he said he had asked to leave the clinic despite the risk to his health, indicating that he wanted to participate in his defence.

The sentence announced on Wednesday is a first-instance ruling. That means the legal process has not necessarily reached its final stage, and further proceedings may follow.

For Ecuador, the case is another reminder of the lasting legal consequences of corruption allegations involving public figures. For Bucaram, it places the former president at the centre of another major judicial battle more than two decades after his presidency ended.