Diplomatic relations between Ecuador and Mexico have been suspended following the storming of the Mexican embassy and the detention of the Ecuadorian former vice president, Mexican leader Andrés Manuel López Obrador said on his X (Twitter).
According to him, Foreign Minister Alicia Bárcena told him about the storming of the embassy by the Ecuadorian army.
“This is a flagrant violation of international law and sovereignty, which is why I have instructed our Chancellor <...> announce the suspension of diplomatic relations between the Mexican government and Ecuador,” Obrador said.
According to Associated Press, Ecuadorian police raided the Mexican Embassy in the capital Quito to detain former Ecuadorian Vice President Jorge Glas, who had been living on the premises of the diplomatic mission since December 2023. On April 5, Mexican authorities decided to grant him political asylum. The Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry called the granting of asylum to the ex-vice president illegal and demanded his extradition.
The Mexican Foreign Ministry reported that several diplomats were injured during the assault. “Mexican diplomatic personnel in Ecuador will immediately leave this country,” the department said.
Mexico will also appeal to the International Court of Justice with a request to condemn Ecuador for violations of international law, Bárcena added.
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa said the police actions at the Mexican embassy were aimed at “protecting national sovereignty in accordance with a zero-tolerance policy” against criminals.
“Each embassy has only one purpose: to serve as a diplomatic space with the aim of strengthening relations between countries. <...> Jorge Glas has been given a final verdict and the competent authorities have issued a warrant for his arrest,” said a statement released by the office of President Noboa in X.
In 2017, Jorge Glas was removed from his position as vice president due to a corruption scandal. He was accused of receiving bribes from a construction company Oderbrecht. The prosecutor’s office showed an audio recording in which Glas and one of the Ecuadorian officials can be heard developing a bribery scheme. The vice president did not admit guilt.
Glas was sentenced to six years in prison. He served his sentence from 2017 to 2022, and in December 2023 he asked for asylum.
RBC news agency, 04/07/2024, “Ecuador explained the storming of the Mexican embassy with the threat of the vice president’s escape”: Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Gabriela Sommerfeld explained the storming of the Mexican embassy in Quito, where former Vice President Jorge Glas was hiding, by the fact that he could escape. Her words leads nmas.com.mx. […]
According to the minister, Glas had been taking refuge at the Mexican diplomatic mission since December 2023 and had asked for asylum. The Ecuadorian side provided the embassy with all the information about the allegations of bribery and embezzlement against the former vice president. Ecuador considers granting him asylum illegal, Sommerfeld emphasized.
Glas was sentenced to six years in prison on charges of corruption. On April 5, Mexico City granted him political asylum. After this, Ecuadorian security forces burst into the embassy and arrested the politician. — Insert K.ru
Brazilian builders Odebrecht “greased” Jorge Glas for $13.5 million
Original of this material
© NEWSru.com12/14/2017
Ecuadorian court sentences vice president to six years in prison for bribes
An Ecuadorian court has sentenced ousted Vice President Jorge Glas to six years in prison and a $33 million fine for bribes in the case of the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht, Reuters reports. Glas is the first person convicted of this level in this case.
Jorge Glas served as vice president under former state leader Rafael Correia and retained his post after Lenin Moreno won the election. He, however, suspended Glas from his duties in August, declaring that he was “not a team player.” In October, the court approved Glas’ provisional arrest in the Odebrecht case.
In November, it was decided that Glas would stand trial on charges of organizing corrupt activities. The court found that the vice president was guilty of criminal conspiracy with the company and receiving kickbacks from it, RIA Novosti reports.
According to prosecutors, Glas may have received about $13.5 million in bribes from the Brazilian company to award it five government contracts in strategic sectors of the economy. In addition to Glas, 12 more people are involved in the case, including his uncle, through whom he received kickbacks.
Odebrecht admitted its involvement in corrupt practices in order to obtain government contracts in a number of countries. $3.5 billion was spent on transactions with authorities in the United States, Brazil and Switzerland. In Ecuador, the company is suspected of paying $33.5 million in kickbacks.
