Note updated at 13:30 on January 12, 2022
Those implicated are two former FAE officers and the representative of the Indian company Hal, in Ecuador, which sold the aircraft.
On the morning of this January 12, 2022, the hearing was installed in which the Prosecutor’s Office requested to link three new defendants to the Dhruv case. The national judge Luis Rivera, partially accepted the request of the Prosecutor’s Office, and issued the prohibition of leaving the country and periodic presentation to the three new defendants: Gral. Alonso Espinoza, Gral. Antonio Puga and Juan Cortez.
However, it did not give way to the fiscal request to prohibit the sale of assets for $ 3.5 million, but set the amount for $ 212,000. With them there are 18 defendants in this case.
On October 7, 2021, the Prosecutor’s Office filed a charge against 15 people for alleged peculation in the contract to acquire the Dhruv helicopters, with the Indian company Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), worth $ 45.2 million.
Judge Luis Rivera opened the investigative stage for 90 days, which ended on January 7, 2021. However, before that phase concluded, the Prosecutor’s Office requested the involvement of the three people in the investigation. Now they are all investigated for the 2008 purchase of the aircraft. Four of them were injured. As a balance, three deceased persons were registered.
Javier Ponce and Wellington Sandoval, former defense ministers of the Rafael Correa government, are also investigated in this criminal proceeding. With the link, the tax instruction stage goes from 90 to 120 days.
General Arturo Espinoza was in charge of the materialization of the contract for the acquisition of the helicopters. While the officer Jaime Puga was the Head of the acquisition project. (DPV)
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