Ecuador: President denounces five “bad judges” favorable to criminals

Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso on Tuesday (February 7th) denounced five "

" who issued rulings in favor of suspected criminals, shortly after losing a referendum on the judicial extradition of Ecuadorians.

“Bad judges who defend offenders”

"

," said the leader during a speech, targeting five magistrates denounced to the prosecutor's office.

President Lasso claimed that they had ordered the release of murderers, rapists as well as suspected arms and drug traffickers.

Read alsoLaxity of justice: when magistrates and police pass the buck

These judges also, according to him, declared innocent “

”.

One of them has already been dismissed by a council of the profession for having returned property seized to a drug trafficker, the others are awaiting a decision from the authorities, he said.

His fight to straighten out the judicial system

These statements come after the defeat of the president on Sunday in the referendum proposing to authorize the extradition abroad of Ecuadorians - prohibited for eight decades -, in particular drug traffickers.

The right-wing leader, elected in 2021, accused the Ecuadorian judicial system in December of hampering his fight against drug trafficking, responsible for an increase in criminal violence in the country.

"

" to the actions of offenders, then lambasted Guillermo Lasso.

The number of homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in Ecuador rose from 14 in 2021 to 25 in 2022.