María de los Ángeles Duarte Pesantes,
the former official
during Rafael Correa's mandate in Ecuador who was
taking refuge in the Argentine Embassy in Quito,
escaped
from the headquarters in the last hours and her whereabouts are unknown.
The former Minister of Transport and Public Works is
sentenced to eight years in Ecuador for a
corruption
case
, like Correa, who has political asylum from Belgium.
This was confirmed by a source
to Clarín
and tonight Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Juan Carlos Holguín reported that his colleague
Santiago Cafiero called him to tell him
that Duarte Pesantes "escaped from the Argentine Embassy in the city of Quito
without the knowledge of his Embassy staff.
" , by
Gabriel Fuks
.
Duarte Pesantes
had become a bilateral problem
between the governments of Alberto Fernández and Guillermo Lasso.
The Argentine president had granted him
political asylum
, but Lasso and Holguín refused to give him a safe-conduct, stating that in that country he has to face his case before the Justice and that there is no asylum for such cases.
According to official information released by the Ecuadorian government, the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luis Vayas, "immediately" summoned the Argentine ambassador Fuks, to "learn more details" about the situation.
And he reported that
the national police of that country activated the search and capture protocols for Duarte
, accused in the so-called
Bribery Case
, of receiving public money.
The Argentine Government, meanwhile, claims to have proceeded "with full respect for International Law and, given the divergence of opinions in this case with the Ecuadorian Government, with full willingness to resort to available dispute resolution means."
But he always sought to have good relations with Lasso and Holguín.
"As an asylum seeker, the 1954 Convention establishes the obligation not to allow asylum seekers to commit acts contrary to public peace or to intervene in the internal politics of the requesting State, cases that did not happen," they detailed.
"Duarte Pesantes' decision to leave the Residence
is personal
.
She had no obligation to notify
the Argentine Embassy of her decisions.
Nothing obligated her to remain
at the headquarters of the Argentine Residence in Quito nor did the Argentine Government ensure that she did not did it.", reported Argentine sources consulted.
News in development.
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