Ecuador’s Ousted President Becomes Panama Resident
Ousted Ecuadorean President Abdala Bucaram said Wednesday that he and his family planned to establish residency in Panama.
“I’m not going to ask for political asylum here; I’m going to be a resident,” he told a news conference. “My kids studied here before, and they may again.”
Bucaram, who was dismissed by Ecuador’s Congress on Feb. 6 on grounds of “mental incompetence,” did not say how long he intended to stay in Panama.
A Panamanian Foreign Ministry spokesman said Bucaram had a resident visa for foreigners living in Panama.
“I can assure there will be no problem with his papers. He has been invited, the government has made him aware this is his home,” the spokesman said.
Bucaram said his wife, Rosa, and three of his four children will join him today. One son is traveling with him.
Bucaram lived in exile in Panama from 1985-90 after he fled Ecuador when he was charged with corruption as mayor of Guayaquil.
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