Ecuadorian Assembly Commission recommends impeachment against Guillermo Lasso

( Spanish) — A commission of the National Assembly of Ecuador voted in favor of the report that recommends politically prosecuting President Guillermo Lasso for alleged crimes against State security and public administration.

At the end of the discussion of the report, the cause of “treason against the Fatherland” was eliminated, which was the initial suggestion of the legislators who supported the prosecution.

The legislative commission was made up of seven assembly members after the State Attorney General’s Office began an investigation in January called “Caso Encuentro” for the alleged existence of a corruption scheme within at least four public companies. The report that promotes the impeachment trial against Lasso had six votes in favor.

The Minister of Government, Henry Cucalón, called the correista majority report that encourages impeachment a “mamotreto” and insisted that it has no basis.

“I call it a tome. From a document that has neither head nor tail. Without any legal value, not binding (…) The content of what has been known deserves rejection in my case. I do not understand how, with what occurrences, because I have not seen an argument there that links the President of the Republic”, Cucalón pointed out.

Legislator Viviana Veloz, who voted in favor of the report, said the commission has complied with the country because confidence in President Lasso has been lost.

“Getting rid of corruption, of a bad president, is not only a political obligation, it is an ethical and moral imperative,” he said.

The president has denied since January the existence of a structure of corruption in his government and has insisted that there are state institutions “concerned about overthrowing the government.”

The commission’s report, which is not binding and recommends impeachment, was sent to the president of the Assembly, Virgilio Saquicela, who convened the plenary session of the legislature made up of 137 assembly members for Saturday, March 4 to decide whether or not to support the political prosecution.

If the majority of the Assembly pronounces itself in favor of a political trial, it must be the Constitutional Court that reviews the petition to determine whether or not to proceed with a political trial for the causes or reasons argued by the assembly members.

If an opinion of admissibility of the impeachment is issued by the Court, the process will return again to the Assembly to complete the process that will require at least 46 supporting signatures to start its process.

If the legislators decide to vote for the censure and dismissal of the president, they will need a qualified majority of 92 votes, as detailed in the Organic Law of the Legislative Function.