Bucaram and Son Sentenced in COVID-19 Corruption Case

Abdalá Bucaram, the former President of Ecuador, was sentenced to nine years and four months in prison by an Ecuadorian court for his role in an organized-crime case related to the irregular sale of COVID-19 testing kits and medical supplies. His son, Jacobo Bucaram, received the same sentence for collaborating in the scheme, which prosecutors stated operated from March to August 2020 during a severe COVID-19 outbreak in Ecuador.

The court's ruling was announced after multiple delays, partly due to Bucaram's health issues, as he attended the hearing via video link from a hospital in Guayaquil. The case involved the alleged sale of around 21,000 rapid COVID-19 tests and implicated public officials who allegedly facilitated the transport of these supplies.

Two other defendants received different sentences, with Leandro Berrones sentenced to 13 years and four months, and Israeli citizen Sheinman Oren receiving a reduced sentence of two years and eight months for cooperating with investigators. This conviction marks Bucaram's first criminal conviction after over four decades in politics.