The President of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso, was absent today from the session of the parliamentary commission that is investigating the alleged network of corruption in public companies, where he was summoned last week.
The Legal Secretariat of the presidency sent a letter to the National Assembly (parliament) in which it justifies the absence of the president for “agenda reasons” at the appearance on the so-called Encuentro case.
Assemblywoman Viviana Veloz, the commission’s head, chastised the president for taking the position that he did considering the gravity of the events that were reported by the online publication La Posta at the beginning of January.
The most crucial thing, according to Veloz in press remarks, was to approach and tell Ecuadorians the truth, even if she did not have a legal responsibility.
Why won’t he reveal his face if there are no unethical acts? Why deny your ministers access to the information they need to deliver? questioned the lawmaker as he issued a fresh demand for Lasso.
Veloz preferred not to predict outcomes, but she did leave open the potential that the final report might advise the National Assembly’s plenary session to pursue a political trial against the head of the Executive.
Among those called to the meeting on Monday were former government minister Francisco Jiménez and police commander Fausto Salinas, neither of whom showed up.
According to Mireya Pazmio, a lawmaker from the Pachakutik party, the administration is always in trouble and draws attention from abroad.
Juan Zapata, the interior minister, was the one who showed up to defend the decision to replace the police team that works for the prosecutor’s office in the face of opposition to the move due to the Executive’s interference in the justice system and how much the replacement could slow down pertinent investigations.
Additionally present was La Posta writer Andersson Boscán, who provided more than 35,000 papers about the alleged corruption scheme involving Lasso’s family members, including his brother-in-law Danilo Carrera, also known as the Great Godfather.
Earlier this Monday, the team of that outlet published an Ecuadorian intelligence report that reveals the alleged links of the government of President Lasso with the Albanian mafia and drug trafficking.
Regarding this disclosure, Zapata confirmed to the press the veracity of the document and added that it was archived due to lack of support, although this Monday the Prosecutor’s Office announced the reopening of said investigation.
