Who is María de los Ángeles Duarte, the convicted ex-minister who escaped from the Argentine embassy in Ecuador

María de los Ángeles Duarte was taking refuge in the embassy of Argentina in Ecuador since August 2020. He was seeking to avoid an eight-year prison sentence against him for a bribery case. This until Monday night, when it was learned that he had escaped and later it was learned that he was in Venezuela. The leak has caused a serious diplomatic crisis between Quito and Buenos Aires.

but who is Maria de los Angeles Duarte? The 60-year-old architect from Guayaquil is married to an Argentine citizen. She belongs to the party of the former Ecuadorian president Rafael CorreaCitizen Revolution, formerly Alianza País.

LOOK: Ecuador calls its ambassador to Argentina for consultations after the escape of a former minister convicted of corruption

Duarte studied and graduated in architecture at the Catholic University of Santiago de Guayaquil.

During the government of Rafael Correa, between 2007 and 2017, María de los Ángeles Duarte was in charge of various ministries.

First, between June 2009 and April 2010, she was Minister of Economic and Social Inclusion. Then, from April 2010 to November 2013, it was Minister of Transport and Public Works. While Between February 2015 and January 2017, he served as Minister of Urban Development and Housing.

In this file photo taken on October 14, 2016, Ecuador’s then Minister of Urban Development and Housing, Maria de los Ángeles Duarte, attends a press conference in Quito. (Photo by Juan CEVALLOS / AFP). (JUAN CEVALLOS /)

In April 2020, Maria de los Angeles Duarte She was sentenced to eight years in prison for the crime of bribery, which does not prescribe in Ecuador.

She had been accused of being part of an organization that investigators say collected bribes of about $7.3 million from public works contractors.

She has always maintained that she is a victim of political persecution.

Asylum, flight and diplomatic crisis

After his conviction, in August 2020 Duarte entered the Argentine embassy in Quito accompanied by a minor son. She was classified as a “guest” until she was granted diplomatic asylum in December 2022.

After granting him asylum, Argentina said he hoped to receive from the government of Ecuador a safe passage so that the former minister could go to the airport and leave the country. But that did not happen and she remained in the ambassador’s residence.

The diplomatic crisis between Quito and Buenos Aires broke out on Monday, when The Argentine Foreign Ministry informed its Ecuadorian counterpart that María Ángeles Duarte was no longer at the residence of the Argentine ambassador and that he had left by choice. Later, it was learned that he had left that headquarters on Friday.

“Ms. Duarte Pesantes reported that she is currently in Caracas – without providing explanations about how she did it, or if she is with her son – and made inquiries about the documentation that our country could extend to her. Likewise, she stated that she had no intention of traveling to Argentina in the short term ”indicates the official statement of the Foreign Ministry of Argentina.

Santiago Cafiero, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Argentina. (Photo by DENIS BALIBOUSE / AFP). (DENIS BALIBOUSE/)

One of the hypotheses handled by the police of Ecuador is that the former minister left the residence in a diplomatic vehicle, the director of Investigations, Fausto Olivo, told the Ecuavisa channel on Wednesday.

Duarte reappeared on Tuesday to confirm that he was at the Argentine embassy in Caracas.sharpening the diplomatic crisis.

Ecuador He assured that he did not have a record in Migrations of the departure of Duarte of the country and asked Argentina for access to the security cameras of the diplomatic headquarters, something that was denied.

After that, the government of President William Lasso declared the Argentine ambassador persona non grata gabriel fuks and asked him to withdraw from the country, while Buenos Aires responded with a request for the Ecuadorian diplomat Xavier Monge leave that country.

“We are very sorry to reach this point, but the inconsistencies in some of the information related to the situation of Mrs. María de los Ángeles Duarte have made us make this decision”the Ecuadorian foreign minister told the press Juan Carlos Holguin.

Ecuador’s Foreign Minister Juan Carlos Holguín speaks during a press conference in Quito on March 14, 2023. (AFP). (-/)

Now, relations between the two nations are at the chargé d’affaires level.

She says she is persecuted

Duarte posted a message on her Twitter account where she thanked Argentina for having “sheltered her from the persecution of the governments of Lenín Moreno and Guillermo Lasso.”

“I decided to leave the embassy because by denying me the safe conduct that corresponded to me as a political refugee, according to the Caracas Convention of 1954, and preventing my safe exit (safe conduct), the Ecuadorian government made me its political hostage.” wrote.

“I had to leave at risk, but I exercised the right that assisted me”he added.

What will happen now? The international analyst and professor at the Universidad Hemisferios, Juan Francisco Camino, told the AP agency that the ex-minister’s escape reveals important omissions on the part of the Ecuadorian State and the lack of collaboration from the Argentine State, but pointed out that in any case ” I don’t think this leads to a break in relations.”

Source: Elcomercio