Investigation
The former president of Ecuador, Rafael Correa who ordered the purchase of two aircraft during his presidency: in 2008, the Legacy 600, at a value of $ 28 million; and in 2013, the French jet Dassault Falcon 7X, capable of crossing the Atlantic nonstop, at a cost $ 50 million.
The newspaper El Universo de Guayaquil conducted an investigation that crossed information between the records of the Directorate of Civil Aviation, Dirección de Aviación Civíl (DAC), and the executive decrees on official travel and the reports of the Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Economy between 2008 and May 2017 .
The newspaper El Universo maintains that although it requested information from the Ministry of the Interior, the Presidency, the Ministry of Defense and the Special Transport Air Group, these entities did not deliver the requested information on the detailed use of the presidential airplane, in any way.
According to the Journal, there are many inconsistencies and the information is incomplete. For example, out of the 344 flights that the presidential plane made, 185 have not been identified in the decrees nor is their final destination of the planes known.
Also, the data obtained shows trips to tax havens, including the State of Delaware in the USA, and exotic places. Some of those places did not have the presence of former President Correa. Somoe of those places are not included in the official travel decrees he issued. According to the newspaper El Universo, the former president only embarked on those flights only 108 times.
The Theguardian digital newspaper, regarding tax havens said, “Though the US has been a pioneer in defending itself from foreign secrecy jurisdictions it provides little information in return to other countries, making it a formidable, harmful and irresponsible secrecy jurisdiction,” the TJN report said.” https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/nov/02/united-states-overtakes-caymans-singapore-tax-haven-financial-secrecy-index
It is expected that the special examination on the use of presidential aircraft, announced by the Contralor General, the General Comptroller, will clarify in detail who traveled, and the costs that it meant for the State, in addition to the legitimacy or illegitimacy of the objectives of the 344 trips.
