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July 4, 2018 / 1:02 PM

Ecuadorian court orders arrest of former President Rafael Correa

Former Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa dismissed an arrest warrant issued for him, saying prosecutors have no evidence he was involved in a plot to kidnap a political rival. File Photo by Alejandro Ernesto/EPA-EFE

Former Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa dismissed an arrest warrant issued for him, saying prosecutors have no evidence he was involved in a plot to kidnap a political rival. File Photo by Alejandro Ernesto/EPA-EFE

July 4 (UPI) -- An Ecuadorian court ordered the arrest of former President Rafael Correa over his alleged involvement in a failed plot to kidnap a political rival in 2012.

Judge Daniella Camacho of the National Justice Court of Ecuador said she alerted Interpol of a request to extradite Correa, who lives in Belgium with his wife.

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Prosecutors accuse the former president of being behind the brief kidnapping of Fernando Balda in Bogota, Colombia, where the former lawmaker fled to avoid tensions with Correa. Balda said five men attempted to kidnap him but Colombian police halted the plot.

Balda traveled to Colombia to avoid charges of being involved in a failed coup against Correa in 2010. Balda was sentenced to one year in prison.

The former president, who led Ecuador from 2007 to 2017, denied the charges and said there was no evidence against him.

"How much success will this farce have at the international level?" Correa said. "Don't worry, everything is a matter of time. We will overcome!"

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