On Wednesday, the Ecuadorian Prosecutor’s Office carried out a series of searches and arrests of people judges, former judges, judicial officials, practicing lawyers and police officers in eight provinces of the country, investigated for having it allowed the release of highly dangerous criminals through legal tricks and abuse of law.
This institution specified that in the provinces of El Oro, Azuay, Manabí, Pichincha, Chimborazo, Tungurahua, Guayas and Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas it carried out a series of operations under the presumption of organized crime, illicit enrichment and influence trafficking in various sectors.
In a statement he underlined that the action aims to eradicate “this plague that operates in the justice system, which has been systematized as a vicious circle” and which shows “once again the profound emergence of corruption” in the various structures of the State. He added that the prosecutor’s decision is to “not allow impunity”.
In the photographs distributed by this institution, police and public prosecutor officers can be seen carrying out raids and arrests of suspects linked to the irregular trials of granting freedom. in exchange for favors or money.
“Operation Plague”
It was not reported how many people were arrested across the country nor the cases that triggered them operation called Plaga, that was still open.
Late last year, the prosecution uncovered a revealing case significant penetration of drug trafficking in justice, in the police, in politics and even in the prosecutor’s office, in which 52 people have been accused.
Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa during an event to hand over equipment to the police. Photo: Reuters The investigation was born after the Prosecutor’s Office confiscate cell phones and they had access to the messages of the drug trafficker Leandro Norero, murdered in October 2022 in a prison in the central Andean part of the country, in whose messages these connections were evident.
The Public Prosecutor also investigates and has revealed, above all, the main corruption cases of recent years in the governments of former presidents Rafael Correa (2007-2017), Lenín Moreno (2017-2021) and Guillermo Lasso (2021-2023), with some of its main officials in prison or having fled the country.
A country in a “state of internal conflict”
In early January, after a series of violent incidents, including the takeover of a live television channel, Ecuador’s president, Daniel Noboa, declared an “internal armed conflict” and targeted the organized crime groups and the multinational, which he officially declared “terrorists”.
On January 9, an armed group of drug traffickers stormed the live broadcast of a television channel in Ecuador, threatening those responsible for programming with firearms and weapons of war. Episodes of violence also occurred at the University of Guayaquil and in commercial premises.
Since then the country has been militarized and the population strongly fears a new wave of mafia attacks. Noboa then assured that the country is “in a state of war and we cannot give in to drug terrorism”.
With information from the Associated Press and Clarion
Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.