Trial of Ecuador's Ex-President Rafael Correa is Under Way

The ex-president of Ecuador Rafael Correa and other members of his administration are under corruption accusations in a judicial process that had the first official audience last February 10, at the National Justice Court in Ecuador and could last until the end of 2020.

RELATED: 

Judge Dictates Preventive Detention Against Rafael Correa

The charges are based on alleged millionaire bribes to the former president, the ex-vice-president Jorge Glas, the Legal Secretary to the Presidency Alexis Mera and the ex-minister of Public Works and Transportation María de Los Ángeles Duarte. According to the Public Ecuadorian Prosecutors Office, the supposed bribes were made from 2012 to 2016 and exceed the 7.5 million dollars. 

This institution accuses the ex-mandatary of leading his political party, Alianza País, as a criminal organization because of the alleged amount of money received from private companies to finance illegally his electoral campaign.

The former president's lawyer, Fausto Jarrín, said he doubted the impartiality of the court and was discontent with the judges, who had continued with the trial ignoring his request for recusal. This legal figure seeks to separate the Court from the process.

On his behalf, Rafael Correa claimed that the process is a way to limit his aspirations to a new presidency period and said he is a victim of “political pursuit” from his opponents. Also, he qualifies these accusations as nonsense.

Because of an amendment approved in the February 2018 referendum that sets presidential term limits, Correa cannot pursuit re-election but he could run for legislator in the February 2021 national elections, which would give him parliamentary immunity from prosecution.

However, if there is an executed sentence before November 20, the former president will not be able to run for any elected office.