Ecuador: Legislative Commission Recommends Impeachment of Lasso

On Wednesday, the Commission for Truth, Justice and the Fight against Corruption recommended the impeachment of Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso due to his possible involvement in a corruption network in which his brother-in-law Danilo Carrera is involved.

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This recommendation arose after the seven members of the Commission analyzed the report on "The Great Godfather" case, which was approved with six votes in favor of the motion and one against. Once this decision was made, the Commission recommended that the plenary session of the National Assembly summon Lasso to answer for possible acts of corruption.

The great godfather case refers to a corruption network headed by Danilo Carrera and a man close to Lasso, Ruben Cherres, who had been investigated by the Police for his alleged relationship with international drug trafficking.

The Commission's resolution mentions article 129 of the Ecuadorian Constitution, which establishes that a President can be politically impeached for crimes "against the security of the State" or for "concussion, bribery, embezzlement or illicit enrichment".

The Constitution also establishes that an impeachment trial against a President in office does not presuppose the existence of a previous criminal trial. However, the Constitutional Court must issue an admissibility report before the impeachment process can begin.

Viviana Veloz, the leftist lawmaker who chairs the commission that studied The Great Godfather case, mentioned that the impeachment recommendation occurs at a time when Lasso has very low levels of credibility among Ecuadorians.

"When trust in a leader ends, there is no choice but to replace him. No people deserve to live in despair. Getting rid of the corruption of a bad president is not only a political obligation, it is an ethical and moral imperative. Ecuador hopes so!," she stressed.