Ecuadoran president accused of corruption

The President of Ecuador, Fabian Alarcon, has appeared before the Supreme Court to defend himself against charges of corruption during his period as Speaker of Congress.

Mr Alarcon is accused of fraudulently hiring more than a thousand people to work in the Congress, who -- it turned out -- never took up their jobs.

The list is said to include bodyguards, painters, and even footballers.

Mr Alarcon says the accusations against him are malicious, and that it was not his responsibility to check that employees were actually working.

Mr Alarcon became acting President after the former leader, Abdala Bucaram, was dismissed on grounds of mental incompetence earlier this year.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service