QUITO, Ecuador — President Rafael Correa said Thursday he was considering a pardon for Ecuador's main opposition newspaper after the nation's highest court upheld a $42 million criminal libel verdict against it.

Correa told reporters he would consult with his closest political allies about whether to forgive El Universo the debt and nullify the three-year prison terms meted out to the three executives and former opinion page editor found to have offended him.

With Thursday's decision by the National Court of Justice, Correa said he achieved his goal of proving El Universo lied and letting Ecuadoreans know it is necessary to defend against the "abuses of certain media."