Ex-President of Ecuador announces his return after 6 months of exile.

The ex- president of the Republic of Ecuador, Colonel Lucio Gutiérrez, confirmed this morning that he will arrive at the airport of Manta, in the province of Manabí, at 16h00 today, accompanied by his brother, ex-deputy Gilmar Gutiérrez, and other near collaborators of his government.

Gutiérrez, in declarations via telephone from Bogotá, assured in Citynoticias (89,3 FM of Guayaquil) that he will not show resistance to the police action, that the minister of ordered Government, Gallic Chiriboga, affirmed he will use to stop Gutiérrez.

"If they want to take me prisoner, which they will do. I am innocent, I am not a delinquent", said Gutiérrez to the W radio, when indicating that he does not have anything to fear because the conspiracy and accusations are baseless.

The fact that Colombia had granted him asylum, according to the ex-chief executive, is evidence of the described political persecution by president Alfredo Palace. "Six months have passed, and I have suffered brutal persecutions, such as have not been seen, even with past Ecuadorian dictatorships, and they have found nothing, absolutely nothing, because of this they have invented the lie that I have endangered the security of Ecuador, and that I am a conspirator" Lucio declared.

During the interview with Citynoticias, he stressed that wherever he is, outside the country or in jail, he will continue being the constitutionally elected President of Ecuador chosen by three million of his compatriots. He clarified for the first time the date, hour, and place of his return to the country which he hopes to fulfill, since he does not wish to defraud the thousands of farmers of the provinces of Guayas, El Oro, and Manabí who always supported and followed him.

The ex-Chief of State said he does not resent the people of Quito, “because they fulfilled their democratic right to protest against my government”, and no longer considers them “forajidos”, unlike the employees of Alfredo Palacio’s regime. “The true ‘forajidos’ are those that put into action the coup d'etat and usurped my power”, he emphasized.

On being questioned why the cover of his book, The Blow, there is not a member of Partido Social Cristiano (PSC) present, among the politicians who were part of the opposition of his regime, Gutiérrez was not precise. For a better understanding of the text he said “It tries to find a center of gravity of the facts, even though all of Ecuador is conscious that nobody has faced such an onslaught of opposition and hardness as (Leon) Febres-Cordero like me. I invite the country to read this book, and they will find out all the truth of my administration in it’s’ contents".

He will propose national pact
In dialogue with W radio, Gutiérrez added that he is going to propose a national pact "so that finally the we, the Ecuadorian people, will agree on fundamental subjects" one that guaranties the government of the country, he told AFP.

In addition, he insisted that the decision to dismiss him as President that took place on April 20, by Congress was made in a irregular form, indicating that the proposition was not voted on by necessary number of legislators and that the Congress failed to fulfill its’ obligation to mention a political opinion before voting on his removal.

Finally, he said that once he arrives in Ecuador he will give to the judicial authorities documents that prove the way President Alfredo Palacio has given public goods to individuals. "It has been robbing the people and giving to big business."

Although the regime has reiterated that it has few concerns over the return of ex-president Lucio Gutiérrez, the National Police received the order to arrest him at the moment in which he steps on Ecuadorian ground, and then take him to the ex- penitentiary Brown Garci'a.

The minister of Government in-charge, Chiriboga Gaul, said the crime of which Lucio Gutiérrez is accused of carries a punishment of imprisonment and is not subject of guarantee, so if the ex-chief executive enters jail, he will not be able to leave.

In dialogue with the press, the Minister assured that he will be guaranteed the rights of ex-president Gutiérrez, who will arrive in a democratic country, where his constitutional guarantees will be respected and, therefore, the Ecuadorian State also guarantees a due process to him for its judgment and the halting, will be with all the guarantees that any Ecuadorian citizen has."

According to the high civil employee, a policewoman will be the one who stops the ex-chief executive. "She is going to be a symbolic fact that a policewoman stops him first, so that there is not any problem or struggle, but is far from it".

Gutiérrez is accused of "an attempt against the security of the State", in declarations made in the United States against the government of Alfredo Palacio.

The Superior Court of Quito it ordered the preemptive arrest and imprisonment of Gutiérrez, while the investigation ensues, although human rights groups also have accused him of violations committed by his administration before its exit from power.

"The crime that the Office of the public prosecutor persecutes is punished with imprisonment and that is a crime that in our penal system, does not allow guarantee", Chiriboga said.

Ex-president Lucio Gutiérrez, in a private flight, left the airport of Bogotá at 14:00. After making a technical stop in Cali, Colombia he has predicted to arrive at the airport of Manta, Ecuador at 16:00.

According to a report of Teleamazonas, the ex-chief executive arrived before 13:30 at El Dorado International Airport, of Bogotá.

With the ex-chief executive there are 17 people, among them, journalists of the international press, his brother Gilmar Gutiérrez, the ex- secretary of the Public Administration, the Faustus Cobo; and his defense counsel, Fernando Larrea.

UPDATE:

Gutiérrez’s Airplane departs again for Ecuador after "mechanical fault"
October 14, 2005
Ex-president Lucio Gutiérrez left Friday from Bogotá en route to Ecuador, after his first flight to had to return to Bogotá due to a mechanical fault, verified a photographer of the AFP that in accompanying the ex-chief executive in the return to his country.

Gutiérrez departed at 16h55 local (21h55 GMT) en route to the airport of Manta (260 km to the west of Quito) after changing airplanes at a military airport west of the Colombian capital.

The ex- chief executive is flying in company of other 16 people, among them his brother, ex-deputy Gílmar Gutiérrez, a group of journalists and defense counsels.

Minutes before taking off, the ex-commander declared to the AFP that he was aware that Manta’s Airport now is under military control. "We know of their presence, but nothing will hold us back", he indicated to us.

The first airplane that took to ex- president Lucio Gutiérrez on his return to Ecuador had to return to Bogota because of a "small mechanical difficulty", after about 20 minutes of flight, according to a photographer of the AFP who is accompaning to the ex-chief executive.

The ex-chief executive had left to 14h31 local (19h31 GMT) in the middle of a strong rainstorm covered Colombian capital.

In Manta, one of his lawyers, Luis Almeida, who is with Felipe Mantilla and other supporters of the ex-chief executive, confirmed to this newspaper that Gutiérrez will travel accompanied of 16 people, and it hopes that between 17h00 and 18h00 he will arrive at the airport.

Opinion: Something is fishy. I think there was probably an attempt on his life but it went wrong and the plane didn't go down. When Lucio gets to Ecuador one of two things will happen, he will be killed, or there will be a Civil War (my opinion). There are a couple of other ex-presidents in exile watching this closely to see if they should return also. A side note is the airport he is flying into is adjacent to a U.S. Air Base.

Gutiérrez returned "to show his face"

October 14, 2005

Ex-president Lucio Gutiérrez, was detained the moment he arrived at the airport of Manta, and said in his first declarations in Ecuador that he returned "a show his face" and to defend himself of the accusations that have appeared against him.

"I have not robbed anything, not even a single cent", he indicated and added that his return is due to "deep love to the country".

In addition, he assured that the accusations against him, "to put the security of the State at risk", are unjust and "do not have foundation" and assured that in his country a dictatorship exists.

Gutiérrez assured that he will comply with the order of arrest that he faces and will make himself available to the judicial authorities, and that they may investigate him and his alleged "attempt against the security of the State".

The ex-governor said that he will accept the proceedings, "even if they don’t go anywhere. Pitifully it is a totally illegal order and unconstitutional, and that once again these actions confirm the persecution that I face" he added.

Several journalists who accompanied to Gutiérrez from Bogotá, commented that when the ex-president arrived in Manta, he was “calm”.

Gutiérrez, who was dismissed from the Presidency of his country on April, 20th by Congress, with the accusation of "abandoning his position", was also accompanied of his brother, Gilmar.

Last April 20th, after dismissing Gutiérrez, Congress designated in his place Alfredo Palacio, who until that moment was the vice-president of the Republic and to whom the ex-chief executive accused of being "treasonous," " incapable," and a “usurper ".

After his exit from the presidency, Gutiérrez took refuge in the embassy of Brazil in Quito and later it traveled to Brasilia where he received asylum, but to which he resigned a few days later to go, in May, to the United States, where he denounced his exit of power was due to a "coup d'etat" and called on the Ecuadorian people to not recognize his successor.

Those declarations were interpreted by the then minister of Government (Inner) Mauricio Gándara, as expressions that denoted presumed interests of conspiracy, which is the reason why he accused the ex-governor "an attempt against the security of the State".

The denunciation became official in June in front of the Office of the public prosecutor, whereas the Superior Court of Quito, when it heard the denunciation, ordered the police to take custody of Gutiérrez while the investigation insued.

In August, Gutiérrez appeared in Aguas Verdes, Peru, on the border with Ecuador, from where he tried to enter his country, but he did not do it to, considering that his life was in danger.

The ex-president traveled to Bogotá, in the end of September, and requested the territorial asylum, which was granted and then resigned on Thursday.

Gutiérrez arrived today in Manta in an airplane chartered in Colombia, and was consequently arrested.

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