MEXICO CITY (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th November, 2018) An Ecuadorian judge ruled that the country's ex-President, Rafael Correa, should stand trial in the high-profile case of kidnapping of his political opponent, ex-lawmaker Fernando Balda, back in 2012, local media reported.
Pablo Romero, the ex-chief of the National Intelligence Directorate (SENAIN), had been ordered to stand trial in the case, too, El Comercio news outlet reported on Wednesday.
Correa reacted to the court ruling by calling it a farce. The ex-president also posted on Twitter the front page of El Telegrafo newspaper which allegedly included a title about the court ruling in the case before it was made public.
Balda was briefly kidnapped in Bogota where he fled after the Ecuadorian authorities accused him of being involved in the 2010 failed coup against Correa.
The Ecuadorian prosecutors charged Correa with involvement in the abduction of Balda in late September. The ex-president, who currently resides in Belgium, has repeatedly denied the charges.
