Prosecutor’s Office says association sets ‘appalling precedent of impunity’ in connection with criminal trial of Jorge Glass | Politics | News

The National Assembly’s failure to obtain the votes to authorize a criminal trial against former Vice President Jorge Glas sets a “horrible precedent of impunity,” the State Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement issued minutes after the 883rd session of the plenary session. Which was held on the afternoon of Thursday, December 21.

The Assembly heard and put to vote the request of the judge of the National Court of Justice, Luis Rivera, who asked Parliament to decide whether or not to go ahead with the trial of Glass, whom the Public Prosecutor’s Office accuses of committing the alleged crime. On charges of embezzlement in the Manabi reconstruction case.

Of the 92 votes needed to authorize a trial, only 44 were reached. There were 48 negative votes, 0 white votes, and 23 abstentions, in response to the motion made by Assemblywoman Esther Cuesta (Communist Party), who confirmed that legally the plenary vote could be held to decide Judge Rivera’s request.

According to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, what the Council decided “lacks legal effectiveness.” For this reason, the Public Prosecution announced that it “will insist on requesting a date and time for the charges drafting session.”

The entity led by Prosecutor Diana Salazar noted that although the Constitution stipulates that Parliament can authorize the criminal prosecution of the President and Vice-President of the Republic, when the competent authority requests it in a justified manner, this “applies when these powers exercise functions.”

In this context, the Public Prosecutor’s Office indicated that obtaining permission from the legislative authority is not necessary if the acts accused were committed during his term in office, but the judicial process began at a later time. (Yo)