High Court Orders Jail for Ex-Finance Minister

Ecuador’s highest court issued a jail order for ex-Finance Minister Carlos Julio Emanuel, who is accused of mismanaging state funds in a corruption scandal that has rocked the Andean nation.

Emanuel, who quit in June after the president fired several staff members for allegedly running a bribery ring, is at the heart of a broad scandal that erupted amid talks for a $240-million International Monetary Fund loan accord.

The jail order--requested by prosecutors to keep Emanuel from fleeing--comes two days after the state auditor reported that the ex-minister had doled out $108 million to local governments in 2002 while charging it to the 2001 budget.