Jamil Mahuad

In May 2014, Ecuador’s National Court of Justice sentenced him to 12 years jail term on embezzlement charges.

Ten years after his first presidential run, he won the presidential election by a very close margin. Álvaro Noboa, the defeated candidate, asked for a vote recount, which was denied by the authority responsible. There was a severe economic crisis in Ecuador (including the 1998–99 Ecuador banking crisis), which had led to a 60% cut in the armed forces budget. Mahuad's popularity rating fell from 60% in October 1998 to 6% in January 2000. In the final days of 1999, he announced the dollarization of the economy of Ecuador, along with a number of International Monetary Fund measures.

During Mahuad's presidency, a historic peace agreement with Peru was signed, resolving long-standing border disputes. Under the agreement, Ecuador renounced its claims to sovereignty of the disputed territory under the Rio de Janeiro Protocol, and in return, Peru deeded ownership of one km² of territory to Ecuador. Mahuad concluded the peace with Peru on 26 October 1998.

Mahuad attended Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, and received a Master of Public Administration in 1989. He was a US State Department-sponsored Fulbright Fellow.

Mahuad initially ran in the presidential election of 1988, coming in a distant fifth place. He then served as Mayor of Quito from 1992 to 1998.

Jorge Jamil Mahuad Witt (born 29 July 1949) is an Ecuadorian lawyer, academic and former politician. He was the 41st president of Ecuador from 10 August 1998, to 21 January 2000.