Quito (EFE).- The National Assembly (Parliament) of Ecuador approved this Tuesday to impeach the president of the country, the conservative Guillermo Lasso, accused by the opposition of alleged embezzlement (embezzlement) in public companies.
With the vote of 88 legislators, out of 116 present, 23 against and 5 abstentions, the motion presented by legislator Viviana Veloz, from the Union for Hope (UNES) movement, led by former progressive president Rafael Correa (2007-17) was approved. ).
With this vote, the plenary session of the Assembly resolved to “politically impeach the President of the Republic” for the “constitutional offense of embezzlement”, admitted for processing by the Constitutional Court.”
The resolution was reached with the help of various political groups, especially the opposition UNES, the Social Christian Party (PSC) and the Pachakutik indigenous movement, as well as independents.
Diversion or diversion of funds
According to the accusation described in the legislative resolution, “it is evident the diversion or diversion of funds” generated by the state company Flota Petrolera Ecuatoriana (Flopec) with private companies, such as Amazonas Tanker, with which it had a contractual relationship for the transportation of crude oil. .
According to Veloz, President Lasso, along with a delegate of his, Hernán Luque, “defined the continuation of oil transportation contracts in favor of third parties, aware that they represented a loss for the State.”
Likewise, it assures that Lasso “knew and knew of the corruption structure in Flopec” and that he breached his constitutional duty to prevent the alleged corruption plot.
Processing of the impeachment process
Article 2 of the parliamentary resolution provides that the president of the National Assembly, Virgilio Saquicela, “immediately continue with the processing of the impeachment process” against Lasso, for which he must convene a session within five days of the plenary to question the president.
It also provides that President Lasso be notified “with this resolution” and that “the entire file of this process” be delivered to him.
The resolution of the legislative majority was given after a controversial review process of the impeachment proposal, which began with the admission to processing for the alleged crime of embezzlement, qualified by the Constitutional Court, which nevertheless ruled out other causes in the process. as concussion, bribery and illicit enrichment.