Ousted Ecuadorean President Arrested Upon Return Home

[muriel_volestrangler]

(sorry about this being via Fox News, but it's an AP story, and Fox seem to be the only ones on the web with it so far. The BBC has mentioned this on air, but don't have a web story yet).

MANTA, Ecuador — Former Ecuadorean President Lucio Gutierrez (search), who was ousted by Congress in April and has been living in exile, returned home Friday to try to retake power, but was arrested upon arrival.

Gutierrez landed at around 7:40 p.m. in a chartered plane from the Colombian capital, Bogota, where he had renounced political asylum.

He was immediately detained by a group of police and taken to a small, enclosed room where he was read his rights and placed under arrest. He was accompanied by his brother, Gilmar, his lawyer, Fernando Larrea, as well as Fausto Cobo, a former official from his administration, and several journalists.

Gutierrez insisted before leaving Colombia that he was unjustly ousted and accused his successor, President Alfredo Palacio (search), of corruption and of fabricating charges against him.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,172339,00.html

On edit: BBC story up now, if you don't want to visit Fox.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4341092.stm

[Say_What]

1. At first Gutierrez looked like he was gonna be okay, but no sooner

had he been sworn in and he was off to Washington to grovel at the feet of TortureBoy for $$$$. He went back home and instituted austerity measures--exactly what he said he would not do--and eventually it was part of his undoing. Wonder what the deal about returning to Ecuador is about... something's up.

Here's an article about him from 2002 when he was elected.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/2511113.stm

[Judi Lynn]

2. It is a puzzler trying to devine what he's up to. Something Bush wants him

to do, no doubt about it. A trade-off. _Bush is good pals with the biggest dweebs in Latin America. The others don't like him.

[struggle4progress]

3. Ecuador's Gutierrez vows to retake presidency

Oct 15, 2005 — QUITO, Ecuador (Reuters) - Former Ecuador President Lucio Gutierrez, ousted by Congress in April, vowed on Saturday to return to power despite having been thrown in jail after returning to the country.

"I will regain the presidency by way of the constitution, the truth and popular support," Gutierrez told Reuters by telephone from his Quito jail cell. He was arrested on Friday minutes after arriving by airplane in Ecuador from Colombia where he had been granted asylum.

Ecuador's Congress fired Gutierrez six months ago for meddling in the Supreme Court. <snip>

Analysts say the 48-year-old retired army colonel, who came to prominence when he led a coup attempt in 2000, does not have the support needed to regain the presidency. <snip>

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=1218360

[bemildred]

4. The Bushites are going after Palacios, I think.

Someone has to be made an example of for all
this leftism going on. Keep an eye on Bolivia
too.