The Economist: Correa Has used the Courts to Try to Silence his Critics

For a man who calls his country’s legal system dysfunctional and corrupt, Rafael Correa, Ecuador’s president, has fared remarkably well before the courts. That was the opening idea used in an article written in The Economist magazine yesterday, which provides an overview of the recent condemnation of newspaper El Universo, three of its directors and former editor of Opinion, Emilio Palacio.

The article says Correa has used the courts to silence his critics. This idea was used regarding the fate that the President has had in the courts. “In 2008 he won a $600,000 suit against Banco Pichincha, the country’s biggest bank, because it had erroneously included him on a list of delinquent credit-card holders,” says the article.

The Economist also challenges the millionaire ruling issued by the Ecuadorian justice against El Universo Newspaper. The publication reviews a stand out point in the trial. Although Mr Correa is known for keeping a packed schedule, he took six hours off work to attend the hearing for the lawsuit in Guayaquil on July 19^th, says the magazine. It adds that Correa has often used the courts to silence his critics. In March he sued the authors of ‘Big Brother’, a book recounting his elder brother’s wildly successful business deals during his presidential term. (FO)

Source: El Comercio Newspaper