Former vice president Jorge Glas, arrested on Friday (5) during a police raid on the Mexican embassy in Quito, governed Ecuador alongside Rafael Correa between May 2013 and November 2017, when he began to face charges corruption after a shift to the right in the country’s government.
The politician was also vice-president at the beginning of Lenín Moreno’s government, with which he broke politically, which led to his expulsion from command of the country.
During the Correa era, Glas was one of the main leaders of the project called “Citizen Revolution”, a coalition with left-wing parties and popular movements that expanded social rights and sought to break with neoliberal economic policy.
During this period, a Constituent Assembly inserted into the Ecuadorian Constitution the guarantee of fundamental rights, including the indigenous population, the promotion of national culture and the appreciation of the country’s sovereignty.
Ecuador also broke with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), renegotiated oil contracts and led the subcontinent’s integration into the Union of South American Nations (Unasul).
Lava Jato convictions and far-right government
Glas was sentenced twice, in 2017 and 2020, to six and eight years in prison, respectively. Among the evidence used against him were documents collected by Operation Lava Jato related to contracts for the construction companies OAS and Odebrecht in Ecuador.
Rafael Correa’s former deputy was accused of embezzling public money used to rebuild cities hit by an earthquake.
According to the Ecuadorian politician’s defense, however, the accusation is the result of lawfarewhich means the use of Justice for the purposes of political persecution, similar to the process that affected President Lula (PT).
Glas received a habeas corpus and was released from prison in November 2022, after being detained for four and a half years. He was placed under house arrest.
In August 2023, the Federal Supreme Court (STF) annulled all evidence of Odebrecht’s leniency agreement in the context of Lava Jato, which includes the evidence against Glas.
The situation changed with the victory of right-wing extremist Daniel Noboa, who assumed the presidency of Ecuador in 2023. Glas then decided to seek support at the Mexican embassy, where he was arrested this Friday (5).
Editing: Thalita Pires
Source: www.brasildefato.com.br
