The Ecuadorian judiciary has accused former president Rafael Correa of attempting to kidnap an opposition politician. There is sufficient evidence to lead a lawsuit against Correa as the alleged mastermind behind the 2012 Colombian abduction attempt by the Ecuadorian Fernando Balda, Judge Daniella Camacho said yesterday in Quito.
Correa lives since the end of his term (2007-2017) in Belgium, his wife’s homeland. He dismissed the allegations as „purely political persecution“.
Kidnapping failed
Balda, a former Member of the Constituent Assembly, had fled to Colombia after being sentenced to prison in Ecuador for insulting members of the government. In Bogota failed attempted kidnapping Baldas, as the kidnappers were stopped with her victim by a police patrol. The five perpetrators convicted in Colombia said they had acted on behalf of the Ecuadorian intelligence service to return Balda to Ecuador.
Balda was expelled from Colombia to Ecuador two months after the abduction attempt, where he served his two-year prison sentence.
