Ecuador: the Constitutional Court approves the political trial against Guillermo Lasso

The Constitutional Court of Ecuador opened the way this Wednesday in Congress initiate a political trial against President Guillermo Lasso for the alleged crime of embezzlement, in a lawsuit involving his brother-in-law and a former state official.

With six votes to three, the highest court ruled to “admit the impeachment charge relating to the alleged crime of embezzlementagainst the president, the court said in a statement.

Prosecutors rejected another lawsuit the National Assembly had raised over the alleged offense of concussion.

After evaluating the hearing request, the Constitutional Court considered that the request “respected the principles of political legitimacy and due process”, for which it gave the green light to the legislator.

The president must present evidence in his defense. during the process that follows.

corruption scheme

Congress in which the majority is in opposition, but is scattered, has returned to the accusation against Lasso after the disclosure of a digital media report The mail.

The portal revealed an alleged corruption structure for the assignment of public offices in state-owned companies Established by Danilo Carrera, Lasso’s brother-in-law, who was not part of the government.

Also implicated in the case are Hernán Luque, former delegate of the president on the board of the Coordination Company of Public Companies (EMCO), and the entrepreneur Rubén Cherres, close to Carrera and under investigation for drug trafficking.

Guillermo Lasso’s answer

Lasso, who took office in May 2021, denies the allegations and accuses Congress of try to “destabilize” his unpopular government.

Although it rejected the Court’s ruling, the Executive said it respected it.

“This decision in no way validates the arguments raised by the legislator against the president,” the government’s communication-general secretariat said in a statement.

Beset by a powerful indigenous movement and massive protests, three presidents were overthrown in Ecuador between 1997 and 2005.

The specter of ungovernability is once again hovering over the country, where the president has faced violent demonstrations against the high cost of living that have resulted in six deaths.

Lasso already survived an attempt by the legislator last June to oust him in the midst of the demonstrations.

On that occasion the deputies did not collect the necessary votes. To remove an agent it takes the will of 92 of the 137 assembly members (two-thirds).

“Lasso will be impeached politically and will have to answer for his horrors and incompetence before the Assembly,” Congresswoman Viviana Veloz said on Twitter, who filed the request for a trial along with 58 other lawmakers.

Assembly members say the 67-year-old president was in charge of “protect the connections of a criminal structure in public companies.

The Executive argued that the assembly members’ request contains “countless errors” and that it “never had and never will have any legal or political backing”.

In the event that Lasso is fired, he will be succeeded by Vice President Alfredo Borrero.

Correa celebrated the decision

The former president of Ecuador Rafael Correa (2007-2017) celebrated the decision of the Constitutional Court of Ecuador to shed light on the political censorship process promoted by the opposition against the current president, the conservative Guillermo Lasso, his rival for more than a decade.

In a message on the social network Twitter, Correa predicted that Lasso’s exit from power is close after the decision of the highest constitutional review court.

“Hello William! Such a mean and simple guy like you should never have been president. Now you will go, with many merits and together with your friend (former president) Lenín Moreno (2017-2021), to the dustbin of history,” wrote the former president.

Correísmo, through the parliamentary bench of Union for Hope (Unes), He is one of the promoters of the impeachment against Lasso together with the right-wing Christian Social Party (PSC), a former political ally of the sovereign.

These two political forces have also been joined by some members of the assembly of the Democratic Left (ID) and of the Pachakutik indigenous movement, the political arm of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE).

Source: AFP