Rafael Correa was convicted in absentia for corruption during his decade-long term of office from 2007 to 2017.
The former president of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, has been sentenced to eight years in prison.
Rafael Correa was convicted in absentia for corruption during his decade-long term of office, informs the country’s department of justice on Tuesday.
Correa was president of Ecuador from 2007 to 2017, and now lives in exile in Belgium with his wife and children.
He was among 18 people who were convicted of corruption, writes the ministry of justice on Twitter.
Correa had previously stated that he is the victim of a political persecution. He accuses judges of aiding and abetting.
– I know the process and what the judges are saying is a lie. They have not proven anything. False statements without proof, writes Rafael Correa on Twitter.
He was convicted of having received funds from private companies during his election campaign in 2013 to give the government orders.
Justice minister Diana Salazar says that the various companies paid the seven million dollars, equivalent to 48 million dollars in bribes to secure an order from the state.
in addition to Correa, the former vice-president of the country Jorge Glas convicted of corruption.
Jorge Glass has since 2017 serving a six-year prison sentence from another case for having received bribes from the brazilian construction company Odebrecht.
Jorge Glass was the vice president from 2013 to 2017 during the Rafael Correas office.
Rafael Correa was the president before the current president, Lenin Moreno.
All convicted in the case is at the same time banned for political activities in 25 years.
in Addition, the accused Ecuador’s constitution, to persons who are convicted of corruption, and can no longer be put up as a politician in the country. This means that the Rafael Correas political career is over.
/ritzau/AFP
