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A12 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 4 december 2018

Uruguay rejects ex Peru president Garcia's asylum request

By FRANKLIN BRICENO my arbitrary detention are $800 million in exchange for
Associated Press false," the statement said. major infrastructure con-
LIMA, Peru (AP) — Former Garcia fled to Uruguay's tracts.
Peruvian President Alan diplomatic mission a little The scandal has led to the
Garcia said Monday he more than two weeks ago jailing of numerous politi-
would cooperate with after a judge banned him cians across the region,
prosecutors investigating from leaving the country especially in Peru, where
him for corruption after for 18 months as investiga- former President Pedro
Uruguay turned down his tors probe allegations he Pablo Kucyznski was forced
asylum request and forced received illegal payments to resign for hiding his past
him to leave the residence from Brazilian construction work as a consultant to
of its ambassador to the giant Odebrecht. Odebrecht and Garcia,
Andean nation. Garcia has argued that he as well as two other former
In denying Garcia's asylum was the victim of false tes- presidents, Ollanta Humala
claim, Uruguayan President timony by political enemies and Alejandro Toledo, are
Tabare Vazquez said there who told prosecutors he being probed for allegedly
was no evidence to sup- In this Oct. 19, 2010 file photo, Peru's then President Alan allegedly took bribes from taking illegal payments.
port the politician's claim Garcia, attends a meeting in the Port of Ilo, southern Peru. Odebrecht during the con- Garcia's request for asy-
that he was being targeted Associated Press struction of Lima's metro lum seemed to have gar-
politically. during his 2006-2011 gov- nered little sympathy from
"In Peru the three branches left his ambassador's resi- sought asylum because ernment. He has not been Peruvians accustomed to
of government function dence in Lima, taking Gar- he had received informa- charged. widespread graft by top
freely and autonomously, cia first to his daughter's tion that he would be de- Odebrecht has at the cen- officials. Barely a half-doz-
especially in this case the home and then to his man- tained despite having nev- ter of Latin America's big- en die-hard loyalists from
judicial power," Tabare sion in the leafy Miraflores er missed several previous gest corruption scandal his APRA party gathered
Vazquez said. neighborhood. From there, judicial citations. since admitting in a 2016 outside his home Monday
Around the same time that an aide read a statement "When I am called to tes- plea agreement with the shouting support, down
Vazquez announced his in which Garcia vowed to tify I will do so promptly, as U.S. Justice Department from just a few dozen when
decision in Uruguay's capi- cooperate with prosecu- I already have been doing, that it paid corrupt officials he took refuge in the am-
tal, a silver-colored sedan tors, saying he had only and hoping that rumors of across Latin America nearly bassador's residence.q

Ecuador VP removed, accused of taking kickbacks from aide

Associated Press Jose Briones, would occu- opponent accused Vicuna
QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — py the vice presidency, but of receiving regular pay-
Ecuador's President Lenin gave no indication for how ments of between $300
Moreno on Monday sus- long. and $1,400 from an aide
pended his vice president, Briones is Ecuador's third between 2011 and 2013,
who faces allegations that vice president since More- when she was a lawmaker
as a congresswoman she no took office last year. The aligned with the ruling par-
took kickbacks from a staff president's running mate, ty.
member. Jorge Glas, was stripped Vicuna has acknowledged
The removal of Maria Ale- of his duties after he was receiving deposits from a
jandra Vicuna came after jailed and later convicted staffer, but said they were
she requested an unpaid of orchestrating a plot to not mandatory kickbacks.
leave of absence until Jan- demand millions of dollars She said the former aide
uary so she could prepare in bribes from Brazilian con- turned against her with
her defense in a probe struction giant Odebrecht what she called slanderous
started last week by Ecua- during the leftist govern- accusations after she re-
dor's chief prosecutor. She ment of President Rafael buffed repeated requests
In this Jan. 6, 2018 file photo, Ecuador's then newly-named said she was doing so as Correa. Both he and More- since September to name
Vice President Maria Alejandra Vicuna flashes a thumbs up as not to interfere with gov- no served as Correa's vice him to a government
she leaves the National Assembly in Quito, Ecuador, after she
was chosen to replace Jorge Glas. ernment work. president. position.q
Associated Press Moreno said a top aide, Last week, a government