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Álvaro Noboa (born November 1, 1950 in Guayaquil) is an Ecuadorian businessman and politician. November 1 is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 60 days remaining. ... 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Nickname: La Perla del Paficico Counties (Parroquias) Carbo Febres Cordero García Moreno Tarqui Tarqui Mayor Jaime Nebot Saadi (PSC) Area    - City 468. ...

Noboa is actively involved in politics, running for president in 1998, 2002 and 2006. Noboa is the wealthiest man in Ecuador. He assumed control of the Noboa Group of companies after a lengthy legal battle with his siblings following the death of his father, a banana magnate and billionaire, in 1993 ^[1]. His foundation Crusade for a New Humanity ^[2] ("Cruzada Nueva Humanidad") draws on his personal fortune to fund social projects — former President Rodrigo Borja has commented that "Alvaro Noboa doesn't give out ideas; he gives out gifts". ^[3] Juan José Flores 1830-1834 Vicente Rocafuerte 1834-1839 Juan José Flores 1839-1845 José Joaquín de Olmedo 1845 Vicente Ramón Roca 1845-1849 Manuel de Ascásubi 1849-1850 Diego Noboa 1850-1851 José María Urbina 1851-1856 Francisco Robles 1856-1859 Gabriel García 1859... Species Hybrid origin; see text Banana is the common name used for herbaceous plants in the genus Musa, which because of their size and structure, are often mistaken for trees. ...

Noboa has opposed campaigns for workers' rights within his own companies, and Noboa Group workers have been illegally dismissed for joining trade unions.^{[4] [5]} . In one 2002 incident striking workers at a Noboa subsidiary were attacked and — according to a Human Rights Watch report — several were shot by organized assailants.^{[6] [7]} Noboa Group was also criticised in a Human Rights Watch investigation into child labour practices in the banana industry. ^[8] The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... Human Rights Watch Banner Human Rights Watch is a United States-based international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. ...

Noboa is the leader of PRIAN ^[9], a populist party he founded himself after separating from also populist Ecuadorian Roldosist Party (PRE). He was presidential candidate of the PRE in 1998 and of PRIAN in 2002 and 2006, both times being runner-up, beaten by Jamil Mahuad and Lucio Gutiérrez. In 2006, he decided to run once again as presidential candidate for his party and he participated in the 2006 presidential elections. The Institutional Renewal Party of National Action (Partido Renovador Institucional de Acción Nacional)[1] is a right wing populist political party in Ecuador. ... The Ecuadorian Roldosist Party (Partido Roldosista Ecuatoriano) is a political party in Ecuador. ... Jamil Mahuad Witt (born 1949) was President of Ecuador from August 10, 1998 to January 21, 2000. ... Lucio Gutiérrez Lucio Edwin Gutiérrez Borbúa (born March 23, 1957), Ecuadorian soldier and politician. ...

Working conditions in banana plantations

In 2002 the New York Times ^[10] reported on working conditions in Álvaro Noboa’s banana plantations in Ecuador. The article specifically mentioned the 3,000-acre plantation known as Los Álamos that employed about 1,300 people.

The workers of Los Álamos unionized in March 2002. Noboa’s company responded by firing more than 120 of them. The article read: “When the workers occupied part of the hacienda, guards armed with shotguns, some wearing hoods, arrived at 2 a.m. on May 16, according to workers, and fired on some who had refused to move from the entrance gate, wounding two.”

Also, several workers spoke of child laborers at Los Álamos. The article quoted a 10-year-old worker, Esteban Menéndez, as saying: "I come here after school and I work here all day.” The boy’s job consisted of tying insecticide-laced cords between banana plants.

In April 2002 Human Rights Watch released a report ^[11] that “found that Ecuadorian children as young as eight work on banana plantations in hazardous conditions, while adult workers fear firing if they try to exercise their right to organize.” Chiquita, Del Monte, Dole, Favorita and Noboa’s company were all accused of being supplied by plantations on which children worked.

Noboa’s exporting company, Exportadora Bananera Noboa, had sales of $220 million in 2004 and $219 million in 2005 ^[12].

Family business, inheritance and litigation

The estate of Álvaro Noboa’s late father, Luis Noboa, the founder of the family’s banana business, was the subject of protracted litigation.

According to Forbes magazine,^[13] Luis Noboa’s heirs spent $20 million in legal fees culminating in a ruling by a British court: “In November 2002 a London judge found that Álvaro rightfully owned a 50.1% stake in Fruit Shippers Ltd., the holding company for the family business. That stake is worth $300 million, we estimate. Álvaro, who has made our billionaire's list previously, claims his assets are worth at least $1 billion. ‘It was a full victory,’ Alvaro says.”

From the court’s ruling:^[14]

“The principal business of [Luis Noboa] was the export of bananas. But at the time of his death his interests also included coffee, sugar refining, flour milling, shipping, banking, insurance and soft drinks. The principal Ecuadorian company engaged in the banana business was Exportadera [sic.] Bananera Noboa S.A. (EBN). The ultimate holding company and the company owning most of the overseas business was [Fruit Shippers Ltd.] a company incorporated in the Bahamas.”

The court found Álvaro Noboa “an impressive and attractive witness” who “gave his evidence in a forthright manner.” He was described as “plainly intelligent, direct, tough, strong-minded and a dominant personality.” Moreover, in the court’s words: “Alvaro did not believe his sisters were capable of running a business and it is not in issue that he alone of the siblings had the ability and experience to do so.”

Shell companies

A 2005 investigation^[15] uncovered 99 companies in Ecuador registered to fictitious addresses. All were associated with Noboa’s business.

The companies, with names like Dalioca, Domintini, Abacus and Carani, were listed in the archives of Ecuador’s Ministry of Labor as being third-party labor-placement businesses, which served other, larger companies by hiring workers on their behalf. The same telephone number was found in all companies’ files and it connected to a recording that said that Corporacion Noboa had been reached. Then a person got on the phone and said that no companies with those names functioned at that location.

The shell companies were also traced to an address that corresponded to an abandoned warehouse in the city of Guayaquil. One company’s file, Empacadora Tropical, had written the warehouse as the address of Corporacion Noboa. The company’s shareholders were Fruit Shippers and New York Commodities, two companies based in Panama and the Bahamas respectively.

The shell companies were used to dodge labor obligations on the part of the employer. Victoria Oliveira, Communications Director of Grupo Noboa, said to a newspaper that Noboa’s company knew nothing about these links.^[16]

Political experience

In 1996, Álvaro Noboa was named President of Ecuador’s Monetary Board by then-President of the Republic Abdala Bucaram. Abdalá Bucaram Ortiz (born February 20th 1952 in Guayaquil) is an Ecuadorian lawyer and politician, 1972 Olympic-team sprinter, former police chief of Guayas, former Guayaquil mayor, founder and member of the Partido Roldosista Ecuatoriano [1] (PRE), former president of Ecuador (1996–1997), and former president of a soccer team...

According to an account of Bucaram’s last day in office (he was overthrown before his term expired) Noboa was the last person to leave the presidential palace in Quito before Bucaram himself left the building 30 minutes later in the evening of February 7, 1997.^[17] February 7 is the 38th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

While in office Bucaram used his presidential powers to sway the dispute between Noboa and his siblings. Early in his short-lived administration, when Exportadora Bananera Noboa was not yet in Noboa’s hands, Bucaram ordered the Superintendent of Companies to intervene in the company citing as a pretext the lowering of the price paid for bananas in bulk.^[18] Then in January 1997 Bucaram threatened Noboa’s siblings with the possibility of expropriating a large estate.^[19]

During his short tenure as head of Ecuador’s Monetary Board (August 1996-February 1997) Noboa owned a small bank, Banco Litoral, and collaborated as part of an economic team that included Domingo Cavallo, the architect of Argentina’s monetary convertibility policy during the 1990s and special foreign advisor to Bucaram, Roberto Goldbaum, head of the National Finance Corporation and owner of Banco Territorial, and Roberto Isaias, then-president of now-defunct Filanbanco, one of Ecuador’s largest banks, who served as economic advisor.^[20] Domingo Cavallo (right) Domingo Felipe Mingo Cavallo (b. ...

Noboa pledged to stop the privatization program began by the previous administration of Sixto Durán Ballén and replace that with a policy of capitalization of state-owned enterprises, like the program implemented by Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada in Bolivia.^[21] However, Noboa did not outright dismiss the idea of privatizing some state-owned companies.^[22] Sixto Durán-Ballén Cordovez (born July 14, 1921 in Boston) was an Ecuadorian (U.S.-born) political figure and architect. ... Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada Bustamante (born July 1, 1930), familiarly known as Goni, is a Bolivian politician. ...

Presidential runs

This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses.

In 1998 Noboa ran for president for the first time. In the first round of elections, held on May 31, Noboa got 1,022,026 votes, 26.61% of valid ballots. That placed him second behind Jamil Mahuad (1,341,089 votes, 34.92% of valid ballots) and both battled in a runoff held on July 12. Noboa lost the runoff by 102,519 votes. Mahuad won with 2,243,000 votes.^[23] Image File history File links Current_event_marker. ... May 31 is the 151st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (152nd in leap years), with 214 days remaining. ... Jamil Mahuad Witt (born 1949) was President of Ecuador from August 10, 1998 to January 21, 2000. ... July 12 is the 193rd day (194th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 172 days remaining. ...

After the election Noboa claimed that fraud had been committed. He accused Supreme Electoral Tribunal President Patricio Vivanco of refusing to conduct a recount as was his request. He said that some precinct acts had been corrected using whiteout and others showed no blank votes.^[24]

He ran for president a second time in 2002, again reaching the runoff. He lost the November 24, 2002 second round to Lucio Gutiérrez (2,803,243 or 54.79% to 2,312,854 or 45.21%).^[25] November 24 is the 328th day (329th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... Lucio Gutiérrez Lucio Edwin Gutiérrez Borbúa (born March 23, 1957), Ecuadorian soldier and politician. ...

In the October 15, 2006 first-round presidential elections, Noboa led with about 27 percent of the vote and leftist Rafael Correa 22 percent. Both candidates will face a run-off vote on November 26. ^[26] October 15 is the 288th day of the year (289th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Rafael Correa (born 1963) is an economist and politician in Ecuador. ... November 26 is the 330th day (331st on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

References

1. ^ http://www.forbes.com/billionaires/free_forbes/2003/0317/108.html
2. ^ http://www.prian.org.ec/Paginas/Titulos.php?Med=41
3. ^ http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/ecuador/presidency.htm
4. ^ http://www.usleap.org/Banana/Noboa%20Company%20Page.htm
5. ^ http://www.usleap.org/Banana/Noboa/NoboaBlockNegUpdate7-7-02.html
6. ^ http://hrw.org/english/docs/2002/05/22/ecuado3997.htm
7. ^ http://www.commondreams.org/headlines02/0616-04.htm
8. ^ http://hrw.org/english/docs/2002/04/25/ecuado3876.htm
9. ^ http://www.prian.org.ec
10. ^ Forero, Juan. In Ecuador's Banana Fields, Child Labor Is Key to Profits, The New York Times, July 13, 2002.
11. ^ Ecuador: Widespread Labor Abuse on Banana Plantations, Human Rights Watch, April 25, 2002.
12. ^ Las 25 que más vendieron, Revista Vistazo No. 938, September 14, 2006.
13. ^ Freedman, Michael. Slippery Situation, Forbes, March 17, 2003.
14. ^ De Molestina and others v Ponton and others. Queens Bench Division [2002] EWHC 2413.
15. ^ Unas 360 tercerizadoras solo son empresas de papel en Guayaquil, El Comercio, December 9, 2005.
16. ^ El camino de las tercerizadoras de papel lleva al Grupo Noboa, El Comercio, December 12, 2005.
17. ^ Cevallos, Marcia. Que Se Vaya, Chapter 9. Quito: Diario Hoy
18. ^ Freire, Juan Francisco. Que Se Vaya, Chapter 11. Quito: Diario Hoy
19. ^ Ponce, Xavier. Que Se Vaya, Chapter 4. Quito: Diario Hoy
20. ^ Peagam, Norman. Crazy man in power, Euromoney, December 1996.
21. ^ Latin America Weekly Report, August 1, 1996.
22. ^ Latin America Weekly Report, August 8, 1996.
23. ^ IFES Election Guide.
24. ^ Notimex, July 15, 1998.
25. ^ IFES Election Guide.
26. ^ Ecuador's election race heads for run-off , Reuters, October 16,2006.

External links

• (Spanish) PRIAN campaign official website