Ecuador: Former Vice President Glas Released from Jail

On Saturday, Santa Elena Province Judge Diego Moscoso granted a writ of habeas corpus in favor of former Vice President Jorge Glas, who had been in prison since 2017 accused of corruption.

RELATED:

Violence Breaks Out In Four Ecuadorean Prisons

The 52-year-old politician was released from the Latacunga prison on Sunday amid applause from hundreds of the Citizen Revolution's supporters, who also remembered President Rafael Correa's administration (2007-2017). Glas served for the first time as Vice President from May 2013 to May 2017. Later, however, during the administration of President Lenin Moreno (2017-2021), he was suspended from his official duties in August 2017.

In his second vice-presidential term, he was criminally charged in three legal proceedings: one related to bribery organized by the Brazilian company Odebrecht, another for receiving illegal money for his political movement, and a third one for bribery in a trial related to oil contracts.

Currently, Glas is prevented from leaving the country and must continue litigating pending cases. The judicial processes against Glas, Correa, and other leaders of the Citizen Revolution have been denounced internationally as cases of political persecution.

Currently, Glas is prevented from leaving the country and must continue litigating pending cases. The judicial processes against Glas, Correa, and other leaders of the Citizen Revolution have been denounced internationally as cases of political persecution.

Granting habeas corpus requires Ecuadorian authorities to immediately comply with the constitution and international human rights conventions, Glas's defense attorney, Sonia Vera, said, adding that the former vice president is a victim of "lawfare."

On Sept. 2021, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention urged President Guillermo Lasso's administration to take immediate action to protect the legal security and well-being of Glas. This exortation implied the granting of "alternative measures to detention, including early release or other non-custodial measures," Vera added.