"Of course I affected the lives of many people with these decisions, but my main goal was to prevent the wealthy people from taking money out of the country," he said. "Of course I made mistakes...All of our actions were in good faith. I never intended to damage anybody."

In the press release, Mahuad said that he has three lawyers working on revoking the order for "preventive custody," as the arrest order is formally called.

"I would like the opportunity to respond in the appropriate way," he said.

Some claimed that Mahuad's effort at conciliation rang hollow.

"He should return to defend himself, and allow the Ecuadoran courts to determine his innocence or culpability," Baquerizo wrote.

"I think he should return voluntarily," Mata wrote. "At least, the U.S. should pull his visa."

Ecuador has a bilateral extradition treaty with the U.S. and may try to force his return to Ecuador. But former Ecuadorean government figures have often been granted political asylum in other countries due to fears that they would not receive a fair trial in Ecuador.