The international police agency Interpol has rejected an Ecuadorian court request that it issue an international arrest warrant for former president Rafael Correa. Correa is under investigation in Ecuador for the alleged kidnapping of an opposition politician.
Former president Rafael Correa
Interpol notified Ecuador’s Court of Justice of its decision Wednesday morning saying that it could not justify a warrant based on the information provided by a judge. “In making our decision, we are bound by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and do not believe that the evidence in this case meets the appropriate standards.”
According to the British Times newspaper, a source at Interpol’s Lyon, France headquarters said the charges against Correa “appear to include political elements that are not compatible with law enforcement protocols.”
Correa is accused of orchestrating a 2012 kidnapping attempt in Bogota, Colombia of Fernando Balda. The kidnapping failed when police were alerted and Balda was rescued.
Correa has denied the allegation, saying he was unaware of the plan, claiming it is part of a campaign by the government of President Lenin Moreno to discredit him and destroy his leftist movement.
Correa was the president of Ecuador from 2007 to 2017 and currently lives near Brussels with his Belgian-born wife.
