Ecuadorian authorities have reported the detention of Jacobo Bucaram, the son of former president Abdalá Bucaram (1996-1997), in a police operation carried out in Guayaquil. The arrest occurs in response to a judicial request from the United States, a country to which he will be extradited.
Ecuador’s Minister of the Interior, John Reimberg, has explained that "Jacobo Bucaram, who has an Interpol Red Notice and is sought by the justice of the United States and two other people linked to this case, were detained by the National Police in Guayaquil".
Reimberg has also specified that "they will be sent to that country in accordance with the corresponding process", without detailing the charges Bucaram faces in U.S. territory. The Interior official has reiterated that this action sends a "clear" message. "There are no privileges, there are no untouchables, and there is no room for impunity," he said.
The minister also highlighted the role of the Executive in this operation, by stating that "under the leadership of President Daniel Noboa, the National Police and all the Security Block, we continue to act with resolve". Along the same lines, he warned that "anyone who has pending matters with justice will have to answer".
The arrest of Jacobo Bucaram takes place almost two months after an Ecuadorian court imposed, along with his father, a sentence of more than nine years in prison, after they were considered collaborators in a crime of organized crime within the Pruebas COVID-19 case.
According to the Prosecutor’s Office, this criminal network obtained economic benefits between March and August 2020, taking advantage of the health emergency. In that period, according to the judicial ruling, it was established that "they marketed 21,000 tests to detect COVID-19, in addition to masks, lancets, nitrile gloves, and other supplies, committing several crimes".