*note updated at 10:04 am to include information
Ecuador police officers used force to invade the Mexican embassy in Quito this Friday (5) and arrest former Ecuadorian vice-president Jorge Glas, who had been taking refuge there since December.
The invasion occurred on the same day that Mexico granted political asylum to Glas, a decision that deepened diplomatic tension between the two countries.
Read more: Who is Jorge Glas, former vice president of Ecuador arrested in invasion of the Mexican embassy
“The National Government informs the population that Jorge Glas Espinel, sentenced to a prison sentence by the Ecuadorian justice system, was arrested this evening and placed at the disposal of the competent authorities”, declared the office of the president of Ecuador Daniel Noboa.
The president of Mexico reacted immediately and broke diplomatic relations with Ecuador. López Obrador published on social media that the measure was a “flagrant violation of international law and Mexico’s sovereignty.”
Alicia Bárcena, our Secretary of Foreign Affairs, has just informed me that police from Ecuador forcibly entered our embassy and detained the former vice president of that country who was a refugee and processing asylum due to persecution and harassment…
— Andrés Manuel (@lopezobrador_) April 6, 2024
The Ecuadorian press showed police officers entering the embassy, while members of the Armed Forces monitored the operation outside.
Jorge Glas was sentenced to six years in prison for corruption in a case involving Odebrecht and the Brazilian Lava Jato.
Rafael Correa’s former deputy is accused of embezzling public money used to rebuild cities hit by an earthquake. According to the defense, the accusation is the result of lawfare contra or ex-vice president.
“They threw me on the ground,” says head of the Mexican consulate
The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Political Affairs at the Mexican Embassy in Quito, Roberto Canseco, said Glass was being pursued and reported that police officers assaulted him during the storming of the embassy.
“They threw me to the ground. I tried to physically prevent them from entering, but like criminals they invaded the Mexican embassy in Ecuador. That’s not possible, that can’t be, it’s crazy,” Canseco told the Ecuadorian press.
Evidence collected by Lava Jato was annulled
Jorge Glas was imprisoned for five years after being convicted in the Odebrecht case. The left in the country denounces that the arrest was part of a campaign of lawfare against members of Rafael Correa’s government.
Along with Correa, Glas was convicted in April 2020 in what became known as the “Bribes Case”. According to the indictment, government officials accepted bribes from private companies in exchange for public contracts.
Without proof of Glas and Correa’s direct involvement, both were accused of “psychic influence” about those allegedly involved. Correa was banned from participating in politics for 25 years.
In August 2023, the Federal Supreme Court (STF) annulled evidence provided by Odebrecht against Glas. The processes involving the politician were based on information from the Lava Jato operation.
**with information from Peoples Dispatch
Editing: Thalita Pires
Source: www.brasildefato.com.br
