US LAWMAKER WITHHOLDS FUNDS FOR ECUADOR IN PROTEST

WASHINGTON (AP)--A key congressman has ordered a suspension of almost $20
million in U.S. assistance to Ecuador to protest what he considers unjust
treatment of a Florida man serving an eight-year prison term there on a 1998
money laundering conviction.

The case involves James Williams of Jacksonville, who waited more than two
years for his trial and now has waited more than a year for his appeal to be
heard by the Ecuadorian Supreme Court.

Rep. Sonny Callahan, R-Ala., chairman of the House Appropriations
subcommittee on Foreign Operations, ordered the aid suspension. As the
lawmaker who oversees House foreign aid appropriations, he has the authority
to discontinue assistance programs.

"For some time, I have been very concerned about the slow pace with which
Ecuador has afforded an American citizen due process in its judicial
system," Callahan said.

"My hope would be that this matter can be resolved sooner rather than
later."

Ecuadorian Embassy officials did not respond to a request for comment on
Wednesday.

State Department officials have raised the Williams case repeatedly with
high-level Ecuadorian officials to protest the delays. The department
describes Ecuador's judicial system as "slow, inefficient and cumbersome."

According to department officials, the major impact of the aid suspension
will be on programs that directly support the poorest Ecuadorians, including
family planning and health care.

Almost two years after his arrest in Ecuador, Williams was indicted in Tampa
on grounds that he was involved in a drug trafficking and money laundering
scheme run by Jose Castrillon, a Colombian who has been convicted on drug
charges in a U.S. court.

Isaac Mitrani, Williams' lawyer, expressed hope that Ecuador will release
him shortly so he will have the chance "to have all of the facts presented
to an unbiased tribunal in the United States."

Among other flaws in Williams' December 1998 trial, he was not allowed to
confront his accusers, Mitrani said.

Rep. Corrine Brown, a Democrat who represents Williams in Congress, said his
case has been one of the most frustrating she has encountered as an elected
official.

"For three years I have been unsuccessful in my attempts to seek a fair
judicial proceeding for Mr. Williams, both in Ecuador and in the United
States. ... I am hopeful that some day, Mr. Williams will receive the due
process he deserves."

Brown has visited Ecuador three times to assist Williams. Five other
lawmakers and former President Carter have gone to Ecuador and raised the
issue with government officials.

At the time of his arrest in September 1996, Williams ran Caribbean
Fisheries. He bought fish from small packing houses in Latin America and
sold them to restaurant wholesalers in the southeastern U.S.

Williams' wife, Robin, said Wednesday in a telephone interview from
Jacksonville that Castrillon was one of his 22 suppliers. She maintains that
Castrillon's fishing business activities, in contrast to his drug dealing,
were legitimate.

She has maintained for years that her husband's arrest in Ecuador was sought
by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, an allegation denied by DEA
officials.

Mrs. Williams, who returned this week from her 15th visit to Ecuador, said
her husband's 3 1/2-year incarceration has been a "frightful situation" that
has led to their financial destruction.

She said she and other family members have to provide him with clothing,
money, food and toiletries because the prison "provides nothing for
inmates."

"This prison is a death sentence," she said. "Jim has watched people die
because they can't get out for treatment."