The President of the Republic described this fact as “very serious”, and explained to the prosecutor that she cannot remain silent in the face of it.
President William Lasso, mention the assembly members Edgar Quezada, Celestino Chumpi, Cristian Yucailla, Rosa Cerda and Gisella Molina, as the alleged applicants for economic benefits in exchange for voting in favor of the Investment Law, which was rejected and filed in the Assembly.
“I comply with my moral and political obligation to make known the corruption on the National Assembly”, he writes in a letter dated today March 26, 2022, and addressed to Diana Salazar, State Attorney General.
The Head of State details that he was informed that, during this month of March 2022, during a political meeting “maintained by collaborators of that office with assembly members Rosa Cerda, Gisela Molina, Édgar Quezada, Celestino Chumpi and Cristian Yucailla, as well as the latter’s legislative adviser, Marcelo Roserofor matters related to the project of Investment Law, Those legislators would have requested economic benefits for themselves, in exchange for consigning their vote in favor.”
The arguments
Lasso qualifies this fact as “very serious”, and he explained to the prosecutor that he cannot remain silent in the face of this.
This, because he would betray his obligations as President, as well as the trust that the Ecuadorian people have placed in him to banish dishonesty as a disastrous practice of Ecuadorian politics.
Also because if he remains silent it would constitute a criminal offense typified in article 277 of the Comprehensive Criminal Organic Code (COIP).
Letter to the State Attorney General.
I fulfill my moral, political and legal obligation to expose the corruption of the National Assembly. pic.twitter.com/EN1CzmbAsb
— Guillermo Lasso (@LassoGuillermo) March 26, 2022
“The person who, as a servant or public servant, depending on his position, knows of any fact that could configure an infraction and does not bring it to the knowledge of the authority, will be sanctioned with imprisonment from 15 to 30 years”, says this COIP article.
According to the president, legislators are prohibited by article 127 number 4 of the Constitution “receive allowances or other income from public funds that are not those corresponding to their function as assembly members” under penalty of losing such quality, in addition to the responsibilities determined by the Law.
In his letter to the prosecutor, moreover. Article 281 of the COIP, typified as concussion and sanctioned with up to five years in prison, mentions that “people who act by virtue of a state power in any of the State institutions determined in the Constitution, demand the delivery of rights, quotas , contributions, interest income, undue wages or gratuities.
In this framework, it asks the Prosecutor to initiate the corresponding investigations in accordance with the Law. In a letter addressed to the SRI and the UAFE, the president also called for an investigation into the accounts of Xavier Hervas.
This request responds to theAssembly members of the benches Democratic Left, Pachakutik and Unión por la Esperanza (correistas), who on Friday, March 25, 2022, demanded that those who would have tried to blackmail him be identified. (SC)
THE DATA: The Investment Law project was rejected with 87 votes.
