Former president of Ecuador’s governing body for justice called to trial

The National Court on Monday called to trial the former president of the Judicial Council Wilman Terán and a member of that administrative governing body of the justice system in Ecuador, accused of a Corruption plot within the judicial system in this country.

The Attorney General’s Office, in a message published on its social network X account, stated that based on 165 pieces of evidence, Judge Julio Inga called Terán and the member of that organization Maribel Barreno to trial “as direct authors of the crime of obstruction of justice.”

He added that the judge also called four people to trial as accomplices to the crime, while he acquitted five people.

This process, known as Judicial Independence, investigates a plot in which three of the five members promoted influence peddling to irregularly influence judicial proceedings in which they had particular interests.

The case is based on the investigation into the dismissal of national judge Walter Macías, who was involved in high-profile cases, one of which involved Barreno and another member of the Judiciary for alleged influence peddling; the other for organized crime that led to the sentencing of the former Comptroller General of the Nation, Pablo Celi.

If found guilty, Terán and Barreno could be sentenced to nine years in prison and ordered to pay fines as the judge deems appropriate.

In this case, Xavier Muñoz, who was also a member of the Judicial Council, was sentenced in June. His sentence was reduced by 90% after providing effective collaboration to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, so his sentence was nine months in prison. Seven of the main people involved in this case were arrested in mid-December and other people, six weeks later.

Terán is currently being held in the maximum security prison known as La Roca, in Guayaquil, and in this and other proceedings, some linked to drug traffickers, he has permanently caused incidents in the courtrooms, which is delaying the trial processes.

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