QUITO, Ecuador, April 26 (UPI) -- Ecuador has expelled a World Bank representative to Quito on the order of President Rafael Correa.
Though Ecuador did not give an official reason for expelling Eduardo Somensatto, Correa has said he wants Ecuador to be less dependent on foreign creditors like the World Bank.
The president and the bank have been at odds in recent years, with Correa questioning why the Work Bank withheld a $100 million loan in 2005 while he was the country's economic minister. The Ecuadorian leader contends it was because of the country's reforms to the oil sector.
The bank contends the loan was suspended because Ecuador violated the loan's terms by dissolving an oil fund set aside to be used to pay off foreign debt.
While Ecuador last week paid off the balance of its debt to the International Monetary Fund, Correa has threatened to default on Ecuador's remaining foreign debt. The country owes the World Bank an estimated balance of $748 million.
