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(CNN Spanish) --
The United States Department of Justice reported that this Tuesday the former Comptroller of Ecuador Carlos Pólit had his first court hearing in Miami for allegedly participating in maneuvers to launder money in the US financial system aimed at promoting and concealing a bribe. illegal in your country.
In a press release, the Justice Department said that, according to a March 24 indictment made public Tuesday, between 2010 and 2016 Pólit allegedly solicited and obtained more than $10 million in bribes from Brazilian construction company Odebrecht. .
In exchange for that, according to the statement, Pólit would have influenced the decisions of the Comptroller General's office to favor the company's business in the country.
In addition, according to US authorities, Pólit would have received bribes from an Ecuadorian businessman around 2015 in exchange for help related to certain contracts with an Ecuadorian state insurer.
In December 2016, Odebrecht pleaded guilty before the Eastern District of New York court to conspiring to violate the anti-bribery provisions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) through a scheme that involved the payment of almost US$800 million in bribes to public officials from 12 countries, including Ecuador.
Polit faces one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, three counts of concealment of money laundering and two counts of participating in transactions with assets derived from criminal activity.
According to the Department of Justice, if convicted, Pólit faces possible charges of up to 20 years in prison for each count of money laundering and money laundering conspiracy, and up to 10 years for each count of participation in transactions with property derived from a criminal activity.
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According to the accusation of the US authorities, the resources of the bribes were used to buy and renovate goods and open companies in Florida registered in the name of third parties who, in some cases, were unaware of the use of their names.
CNN is trying to contact Pólit's defense team to find out their reaction to the arrest of the former comptroller and the accusations of the US justice system.
The conviction of Polit in Ecuador
Since 2020, Pólit in Ecuador had been sentenced to six years in prison for the crime of concussion for demanding money in exchange for the disappearance of glosses or irregular accounting records of Odebrecht.
In February 2018, Pólit told CNN during an interview from Miami that he felt persecuted by the Ecuadorian authorities.
“I feel totally persecuted because I have released the most convincing reports from the Correa government and other governments (…) I do not have a checking account in the world, a dollar anywhere, all my asset declarations are there ready.
My life is open,” said Pólit after he ceased to reside in Ecuador.
