‘Ecuadorean President Must Resign’: Andres Arauz Says

On Thursday, ex-Presidential candidate Andres Arauz said that Ecuador's President Guillermo Lasso must present his immediate resignation or be dismissed due to his involvement in financial activities in tax havens, as denounced by the Pandora Papers.

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"We are shocked by what happened... the Ecuadorian President's face circulates around the world for shameful reasons and unethical behavior," Arauz stressed and mentioned some reasons why Lasso should be prosecuted.

“The attack on the nation's democracy; tax evasion, which is inadmissible in the case of a President; the use of his own relatives as frontmen; committing perjury after swearing that he had no companies, properties or assets in tax havens," Arauz mentioned as reasons for the removal of the President and recalled that Lasso's explanations about his assets are contradictory and inconsistent.

"He has lied to the country on several occasions. In one of them, for example, he said that his fortune was the result of his job as president of the Bank of Guayaquil. Before, however, he said that it was not and he evaded taxes."

The tweet reads, "Latin America 'shines' in the Pandora Papers. Marked by the intertwining of politics and business, Latam is the region most represented in the leak on tax havens. Several politicians are asked to give explanations."

Lasso committed perjury when he claimed that his assets were in Ecuador and were known to the public opinion. In reality, however, his assets are invested abroad, the former presidential candidate highlighted, adding that Lasso's conduct promotes money laundering.

The former presidential candidate also called for a public campaign to demand that the Ecuadorian authorities carry out actions against tax evaders and ask all members of the Lasso administration for an affidavit of assets.

“Ecuador loses a lot. This shameful case is part of a sad reality, which unfolds amid a prison collapse and an immigration crisis,” Arauz pointed out and asked Congress to form commissions for an expedited investigation of Lasso's business behavior.