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Ecuador businessman jailed for overpriced Covid body bags

AFP

An Ecuadorian businessman has been jailed over a scam to sell body bags to a hospital for more than 10 times their cost price amid a spike in coronavirus cases, the prosecution service said Tuesday.

Daniel Salcedo was arrested in Peru a year ago after crashing the small plane in which he had sought to flee capture in Ecuador.

He has been found guilty of embezzlement over a scheme to sell body bags valued at about $10 each for almost $150 apiece to a hospital in Guayaquil in southwest Ecuador.

The hospital was at the time struggling to cope with an influx of coronavirus patients and was running out of space for the dead.

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Salcedo and three hospital bosses in on the scheme were each sentenced to 13 years in jail, the prosecution service said in a statement.

Other ex-hospital staff charged in the case were given lighter penalties.

Salcedo and seven accomplices were found guilty of “arbitrarily availing themselves of public funds from a contract for which a budget of $872,000 was awarded”, the statement added.

This was done in spite of a state of emergency precluding profit-making on medical supplies.

Salcedo had already been sentenced last December to four years in prison for his failed attempt to flee to Peru.

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“It’s such a special night for this club, a historic night for this club,” said Rice, who scored twice in the first leg in London, speaking to TNT Sports.

The English international was named Man of the Match in both legs — the 3-0 win in London and the second leg in Madrid.

“It’s amazing. I knew we were on an upward trajectory and we’ve done incredibly well in this competition. We deserve it and we have full confidence in our coach. Reaching the semifinals is unbelievable,” Rice added.

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DeSantis’ immigration crackdown sparks alarm in Venezuelan Communities in Doral

Florida, the U.S. state with the third-largest immigrant population, has become the most aggressive in targeting undocumented immigrants, largely due to pressure from Governor Ron DeSantis. This shift has led Latino-majority cities like Orlando and Doral to authorize their police forces to assist in immigration enforcement.

In Doral — part of the greater Miami area where 70.7% of residents are immigrants and 48% are of Venezuelan origin — the City Council is expected to approve a measure this Wednesday allowing local police to collaborate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), despite opposition from neighborhood groups and human rights activists.

“It’s yet another betrayal,” said Susana Ríos, a 57-year-old Venezuelan woman currently under Temporary Protected Status (TPS), whose extension was denied by the White House and is now being challenged in court.

Meanwhile, José González, a 21-year-old immigrant, said he feels “abandoned.” He can’t stop thinking about the images of Venezuelans deported to El Salvador without due process. “We’re all in danger,” he warned.

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Bogotá residents line up for yellow fever vaccine amid national alert

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“I got vaccinated for two reasons: first, for my own health because I’m traveling, and second, for a social reason — simply to follow the president’s guidance and be aware that this is a problem for all of us,” said Suárez, a 39-year-old teacher, to The Associated Press.

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The teacher is traveling with his family to the department of Huila, which has activated a contingency plan due to its proximity to Tolima — the epicenter of the yellow fever outbreak — where a state of public calamity has been declared.

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