Delgado could not return to his home country

Pedro Delgado and Rafael Correa

Pedro Delgado, former president of the Central Bank of Ecuador, along with his wife, Veronica Endara, the former U.S. vice consul, were notified yesterday by the U.S. government to leave the country after his visa was revoked by a diplomatic order given by the Ecuadorian government.

In an interview with El Comercio newspaper, the ambassador of Ecuador in the U.S., Nathalie Cely said they couldn’t confirm that Delgado will return to the country because “he does not have an arrest warrant in the United States. I hope that the Ecuadorian courts take appropriate action. So far there is no arrest warrant.”

The diplomat added that on December 27 Delgado, she urged Delgado to return home, but he said he “was consulting with lawyers a legal strategy, and that he had to protect his family.” In response, President Rafael Correa asked Washington for the immediate withdrawal of the visa to Delgado for not fulfilling their agreement to return home after Christmas.

Finally Cely said the wife and children of Delgado have 20 days to leave the country, however, she ignores the deadline for the cousin of President Correa. The official said the former president of the Central Bank considers himself politically persecuted and therefore is seeking political asylum in other countries.