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Ecuadorean judge frees jailed former president

Posted on: Friday, 3 March 2006, 18:53 CST

By Alonso Soto

QUITO, Ecuador (Reuters) - Former Ecuadorean President Lucio Gutierrez was released from jail on Friday after a judge cleared him of charges of threatening national security in a ruling that could inflame Ecuador's political tensions.

Crowds of supporters cheered in the Quito courtroom as the judge ordered the release of Gutierrez, who was jailed for after he denouncing his ouster by Congress last April as illegal. He was arrested in October after returning to Ecuador from Colombia, where he had been given asylum.

Gutierrez, who says he will run for president again in October's election despite only single-digit support in the polls, was fired by Congress for interfering with the Supreme Court and his former vice president, Alfredo Palacio, took over the presidency.

"Finally we have justice," Gutierrez told reporters after his release. "Lucio Gutierrez is not worried about the other charges. Lucio Gutierrez has never committed a crime."

The legality of Gutierrez' candidacy remains in limbo and he still faces charges for dissolving the Supreme Court. A new Supreme Court will have to decide if he should be tried.

The attorney general's office plans to appeal Friday's ruling in Quito, a spokeswoman said.

"His still has to answer to a lot accusations," said Democratic Left party congressman Carlos Gonzalez, a Gutierrez opponent who has accused him of mishandling public funds.

Gutierrez, a former army colonel and leader of a coup attempt in 2000, was elected in 2002 on a left-wing plank but alienated supporters with free-market policies and a close alliance with the United States.

Analysts said Gutierrez's chances of winning the presidency in October were slim but he could still wield significant political power against Palacio's weak government.

One government official last week accused Gutierrez of planning a violent protest in his stronghold and home province of Napo in the Amazon region. The protests threatened the country's crucial oil sector.

"This could impact Palacio's government, which has been fearful of Gutierrez's power to mobilize," said Simon Pachano, a professor at Ecuador's branch of the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences. "Even if he is not a strong presidential candidate he has a lot of influence in certain provinces."

The Palacio government said it would respect the court's decision to release Gutierrez, which it said illustrated the country's institutional stability.

Dozens of Gutierrez supporters waving his party flag and wailing "Lucio for president," were outside the Quito court to support him.

"He is a good man and we appreciate him in the Amazon," said a supporter identified only as Ramon Najamtia, a 47-year-old Shuar Indian and former soldier under Gutierrez. "We will win."

Source: REUTERS

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