Abdalá Bucaram’s wife files habeas corpus to halt arrest order

María Rosa Pulley Vergara, the wife of former Ecuadorian President Abdalá Bucaram Ortiz, has filed a habeas corpus petition to prevent authorities from carrying out an arrest and transfer order against him. She submitted the action on Sept. 4 to the Guayas Provincial Court of Justice.

The defense says Bucaram, 74, remains hospitalized at Borja Clinic in Guayaquil with a serious cardiovascular condition. It argues that transferring him or depriving him of his freedom in his current medical state could threaten his life and personal integrity.

The petition seeks to suspend an order for Bucaram’s location and arrest in the case known as Pruebas Covid-19, which involves alleged organized crime. The order followed the sixth failed attempt on Sept. 3 to read the judgment in the criminal proceeding involving Bucaram and members of his family. The court ordered his immediate location and arrest once he is discharged, seeking to ensure his presence at the hearing.

The defense also challenges the actions of the Criminal Guarantees Court based in Iñaquito, Quito, which has continued scheduling hearings in the case. It objects to permanent National Police surveillance at the hospitals where Bucaram has stayed. An official report from the Search Bloc said the former president remained hospitalized and under police guard at Borja Clinic.

After the legal assignment process, the case went to the Civil and Commercial Chamber of the Guayas Provincial Court. Judges Gustavo Emiliano Almeida Bermeo, Manuel Ulises Torres Soto and Nancy Ivett Vela Mera will hear it. Pulley’s filing alleges an “arbitrary issuance” of the judicial decision and says the measures violate Bucaram’s constitutional rights to health, life and physical and psychological integrity.

Medical documents attached to the petition say Bucaram has lived for years with severe heart disease. On Aug. 20, examinations detected that the battery in his cardiac device was nearing exhaustion, along with episodes of abnormal rhythm. He later fainted and experienced chest pain. After entering Interhospital, he underwent surgery on Aug. 25 to replace the generator of his intracardiac device. His treating doctor then prescribed 30 days of absolute rest.