The scandal of the day (all week, actually) here in Ecuador concerns the Ecuadorian Minister of Social Welfare, Patricio Acosta, whose wife, despite carrying a diplomatic passport, was denied entry to the United States over the weekend at the Miami airport and unceremoneously put back on the next flight to Ecuador.
The rumors about the how and why behind this embarassing setback are swirling around the political and social circles of Quito and Guayaquil. Some say the US government is investigating both Acosta and his wife for corruption and money laundering. Other