Alberto Dahik Garzozi (born 27 August 1953) is an

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

ian politician of Lebanese ancestry. He was

Vice President of Ecuador The vice president of Ecuador is the second highest political position in Ecuador. In many instances, the vice president succeeded the President of Ecuador, president in turbulent political situations. The last time was in 2005 after the resignat ...

from 10 August 1992 to 11 October 1995 during the

Sixto Durán Ballén Sixto Alfonso Durán-Ballén Cordovez (14 July 1921 – 15 November 2016) was an Ecuadorian political figure and architect who served as the 37th president of Ecuador from 1992 to 1996. He previously served as Mayor of Quito between 1970 and 197 ...

administration. In 1995, he was forced out of office when the nation's Supreme Court filed a motion to charge Dahik with

embezzlement Embezzlement (from Anglo-Norman, from Old French ''besillier'' ("to torment, etc."), of unknown origin) is a type of financial crime, usually involving theft of money from a business or employer. It often involves a trusted individual taking ...

. However, Dahik escaped to

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

where he was granted asylum. In December 2011, he returned to Ecuador while then-President

Rafael Correa Rafael Vicente Correa Delgado (; born 6 April 1963) is an Ecuadorian politician and economist who served as the 45th president of Ecuador from 2007 to 2017. The leader of the PAIS Alliance political movement from its foundation until 2017, Corr ...

granted Dahik amnesty. In January 2012, the court acquitted Dahik of all crimes.

Early life

Dahik was educated in economics at

The University of Western Ontario The University of Western Ontario (UWO; branded as Western University) is a public research university in London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by residential neighbourhoods and the Thames River bisecting t ...

and obtained a master's degree from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

, being directed in the latter by Nobel laureate W. Arthur Lewis. He served as

Minister of Finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfolio ...

during 1986 (when he was impeached) and member of

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

from 1988 to 1992. It was during this tenure, in October 1990, that he was involved in a highly publicized incident while a congressional fight was taking place: he was hit by an

ashtray An ashtray is a wikt:receptacle, receptacle for ash from cigarettes, cigars, and other smokable products. Ashtrays typically are made of fire-retardant material such as glass, heat-resistant plastic, pottery, metal, or rock (geology), stone. It ...

tossed by a Roldosist congressman.

Vice Presidency

At the end of 1991, Dahik's Conservative Party established an alliance with

's Republican Union Party and chose Dahik as his running mate for the 1992 presidential election, which he won against Jaime Nebot. As Vice President in Durán Ballén's administration, Dahik was responsible in designing economic policies. He was important member of Conservative Party.

Embezzlement charges

In 1995, the Supreme Court announced that it had enough evidence to arrest Dahik on charges of embezzlement, but Dahik managed to flee to Costa Rica where he was granted political asylum by that country on 30 March 1996. Dahik briefly returned to Ecuador in April 2005 after his process was annulled by the so-called ''Pichicorte'', unconstitutionally set by Lucio Gutierrez's government. Ecuador's constitution enacted the necessity of an impeachment process in

for the President and Vice-President before any legal procedure regarding the exercise of public duty. The process was set up and Dahik was declared innocent by both Parliament and the

Comptroller A comptroller (pronounced either the same as ''controller'' or as ) is a management-level position responsible for supervising the quality of accountancy, accounting and financial reporting of an organization. A financial comptroller is a senior- ...

General of the country, turning then his trial unconstitutional and illegal.

Return to Ecuador

On 23 December 2011 Dahik returned to Ecuador after 16 years of exile, a year after President

called on the National Assembly of Ecuador to grant him amnesty, based on his belief that Dahik is an honest man. His prison order was lifted in order to present himself to a judge every two weeks as precautionary measure. His first appearance at the court occurred on 26 December. On 20 January 2012, Dahik was acquitted by the First Chamber of the National Court of Justice on the basis that he was subjected to a "judicial atrocity". His case was finally archived in March 2013.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dahik, Alberto 1953 births Living people Ecuadorian people of Lebanese descent Vice presidents of Ecuador Ministers of finance of Ecuador Members of the National Congress (Ecuador) Conservative Party (Ecuador) politicians Ecuadorian politicians convicted of crimes