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Ecuador: 8 years for Correa and Glas for alleged bribery 4:40
(CNN Spanish) - The National Court of Justice of Ecuador declared former president Rafael Correa and former vice president Jorge Glas guilty of the bribery crime, and sentenced them to 8 years in prison. Another 16 indicated were also sentenced to the same time in prison, and two more received mitigated sentences.
The court indicated that the victim of the crime is the State and that it considers, after its analysis, that the objective part of the crime is complete and proven. In other words, the Ecuadorian Prosecutor's Office "demonstrated the existence of a corruption structure."
Judge Iván León affirmed that it has been verified that the payments made to the structure were reported to the higher hierarchical level, that is to say to former President Correa and his vice president, Jorge Glas.
“So much money cannot be easily hidden, even less if it was handled by his adviser. This court considers that, indeed, Rafael Correa was aware of the undue funds to position his political movement, "they pointed out.
Upon learning of the sentence, the former president, who has always denied the accusations and lives in Belgium, stated on Twitter: “Well, this was what they were looking for: managing justice to achieve what they could never do at the polls. I'm fine. I am concerned about my colleagues. Surely we will win internationally, because everything is bullshit, but it takes years. It depends on your vote that this nightmare ends. "
Jorge Glas has been serving a six-year prison sentence since 2017 for the crime of illicit association within the Odebrecht plot. The former vice president has defended his innocence and on several occasions has warned "that everything be investigated and that justice be applied as it should be."
The members of the court indicated that the political rights of all those sentenced for a period of 25 years were suspended, "for which the National Electoral Council must be notified."
The State Attorney General's Office had asked for up to 8 years in prison with the aggravating circumstance of having formed a gang for the former president.
condemnation Jorge GlasOdebrecht Rafael Correa