Guillermo Lasso accepted the resignation of Ecuador’s energy minister and now Vera will face the investigation against him from any public office. The Prosecutor’s Office investigates the now former minister for an alleged conflict of interest with firms in his family’s name when granting concessions to develop public projects
The Minister of Energy and Mines of Ecuador, Xavier Vera, handed in his resignation to President Guillermo Lasso, according to the Secretary of the Public Administration of the Presidency, Iván Correa, this Friday, October 28.
The information was made known during a press conference called by Correa, in which it was detailed that Peña —who is facing a corruption investigation against him—, will exercise his right to defense, dismissed from public office.
«Mr. Xavier Vera has submitted his resignation and the President of the Republic has accepted it. It is understood that he is no longer the Minister of Energy and Mines and that he will exercise his right to defense in total freedom. I imagine that he will have a team that accompanies him », indicated the spokesman for the Executive.
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The resignation comes weeks after the National Assembly of Ecuador initiated a political trial against the now former Minister Vera, for alleged acts of corruption.
Specifically, Vera is accused of an alleged conflict of interest between the minister and the supervising company of a hydroelectric project developed by Coca Codo Sinclair, since one of the firms of the conglomerate that supervises the project belongs to the Vera Grunauer family.
Similarly, he is accused of having authorized the concession of rights to Repsol’s Oil Block 16, through which Repsol’s name was changed to New Stratus Energy (NSE), a company to which the minister was allegedly trying to deliver the block for at minus 20 additional years, reviewed Trade from Ecuador.
He is also being investigated for the alleged use of a disability card to obtain tax benefits and discounts in the payment of basic services.
As a result of these events, the Prosecutor’s Office began the investigation against him and even ordered the search of Vera’s real estate, shortly before resigning from his position.
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