- Click to share on Facebook (Opens in a new window)
- Click to share on Twitter (Opens in a new window)
- Click here to share on LinkedIn (Opens in a new window)
- Click to email a friend (Opens in a new window)
Possible case of coronavirus in Ecuador 2:07
(CNN Spanish) - A court of the National Court of Justice sentenced Thursday to one year in prison to the former vice president of Ecuador, María Alejandra Vicuña, for the crime of concussion for having asked her employees for irregular money when she worked as Assemblyman between 2011 and 2013, according to the Prosecutor's Office.
Vicuña, who denied having collected amounts illegally from his former collaborators, resigned from his position as vice president in December 2018 to guarantee his right to defense after complaints against him broke out.
The court also ordered the payment of $ 173,000 and the confiscation of real estate in Guayaquil.
According to the Criminal Code of Ecuador, the crime of concussion refers to public servants who, abusing their position or functions, by themselves or through third parties order or demand the delivery of fees, contributions or bonuses improperly.
Vicuña's defense may appeal the sentence. Upon leaving the hearing, the former president said she will use all available legal mechanisms to continue defending her innocence.
# NOW | Court of @CorteNacional condemned the attenuated penalty of one year in prison, the payment of $ 173,180.16 and the confiscation of a real estate in #Guayaquil to María Alejandra V., former vice president of the Republic, as the author of the crime of concussion. pic.twitter.com/XX24RkthcJ
- Prosecutor's Office Ecuador (@FiscaliaEcuador) January 30, 2020
Maria Alejandra Vicuña