Reply #26: Hurtado speaks out, denies accusations

[rabs]

El Comercio file photo of Hurtado.


Former national police commander, in remarks to Ecuadoran TV station Teleamazonas, denied the accusations by U.S. ambassador.

He said the charges were "reckless, very grave and without foundation. I would like to ask where are those monies, from whom did I take them."

Hurtado is not facing any investigation in Ecuador. He said there probably are a lot of police who resented the institutional changes he made that were not convenient for them (implying that the U.S. Embassy got the information from those corrupt police).

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In Washington, hil's flack Mark Toner said the USG protested the decision to tell Hodges to get out and that "options" against Ecuador were being studied. (That will include preferential trade tax breaks for imports of Ecuadoran products.)