Bucaram of Ecuador sentenced to two years

The Supreme Court in Ecuador has sentenced the former president, Abdala Bucaram, to two years in jail after convicting him of slandering political rivals.

Mr Bucaram -- who is in exile in Panama -- denies all the charges against him and says they are an attempt to prevent him from running for the presidency again.

A year ago, he was dismissed by the Ecuadorean congress on the grounds of mental incapacity.

The authorities have been trying to secure his extradition to face charges of misusing public funds.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service