This Saturday, Henry Tapia, director of Human Talent of the National Police, reported 37 transfers of uniformed officers who were assigned to the operational investigation team of the Prosecutor’s Office, an entity that criticized the determination.
The new police team “that is intended to be imposed”, according to the Public Ministry, would not have specific experience in the criminal area, has not passed confidence tests and must be incorporated from scratch into ongoing investigative processes.
Among the cases that would be affected are Pandora Papers and Encuentro, the latter referring to the alleged network of corruption in public companies, indicated the Prosecutor’s Office.
The government’s decision comes just one day after the agents raided offices of the Carondelet Palace, headquarters of the Executive.
Former vice-presidential candidate Carlos Rabascall warned how the government led by President Guillermo Lasso changed its mind in less than a week about the independence of that public law body.
In the constitutional referendum, they asked the public if they agreed to guarantee the autonomy of the Prosecutor’s Office and today, when possible acts of corruption in their family and political circle are being investigated, this gross act of obstruction of justice occurs, Rabascall said.
This “recklessness” -said the Ecuadorian journalist and politician- could be interpreted as a desperate attempt to hide the corruption of his government, which appears increasingly closer to the president himself. “Do yourself a favor and do the country a favor, resign Mr. Lasso,” he added.
Lawyers and people familiar with the legislation point out that the decision is a constitutional breach and constitutes sufficient cause for the National Assembly (parliament) to dismiss the president.
The Ecuadorian government is immersed in a scandal over alleged corruption in public companies in the electricity sector, a network allegedly led by Danilo Carrera, brother-in-law of President Lasso, whom they called The Great Godfather.
The head of the Ecuadorian executive is summoned this Monday to appear before the multiparty commission that in the legislature analyzes this plot of illegal acts denounced at the beginning of January by the digital media La Posta.
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