Judge of Ecuador orders that Lenín Moreno appear every month at the Embassy in Paraguay

a judge of Ecuador ordered this Monday that the former president Lenin Morenoin a case of alleged corruption against him, appears every month at the Ecuadorian Embassy in Paraguayanwhere he resides, as an alternative measure to entering pretrial detention requested by the Prosecutor’s Office.

Judge Mauricio Espinosa denied the request of the Prosecutor’s Office, which had requested preventive detention for having failed to comply with other alternative measures applied on March 5 and which included the periodic presentation before the National Court of Justice in Quito.

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Moreno is implicated in a corruption scheme known as the case sinohydrowhich revolves around alleged bribes received for the construction of the hydroelectric power station Coke Elbow Sinclairthe largest in the country.

After a hearing to review the measures, the Prosecutor’s Office reported that Judge Espinosa also ordered Lenín Moreno and his wife Rocío to appear before the authorities “within the first 10 days of each month at the diplomatic headquarters of Ecuador in AssumptionParaguay”.

He Public ministry clarified that this provision has been established “although it is not provided for in the Law”.

The magistrate, however, ordered that the defendants “every four months they must appear before the Criminal Chamber of the National Court of Justice, in Ecuador”.

Former President Moreno, who on March 9 had ruled out seeking asylum in Paraguayanhas denounced being the victim of a “political persecution” and that for this reason the process for alleged bribery had been instituted against him.

Moreno, who is commissioner of the Organization of American States (OAS) for Disability Issuesdid not deny submitting to the investigation in his country, but said that the frequent displacements outside of Asunción could affect his condition of disability.

He explained that he has a disability of around 85% and a “fairly large vulnerability” that forces him to permanently mobilize in a wheelchair.

MORE INFORMATION: Judge denies appeal and orders the presence of former President Lenín Moreno in Ecuador

In addition, he labeled “inhuman” the request of the attorney general of your country, Diana Salazarwho had then suggested the preventive detention of the former ruler and eight other people accused of the same case, including his wife and daughter Irina.

In total there are 37 accused of bribery in this case where the Prosecutor’s Office estimates that the Chinese state company Sinohydro paid around 76 million dollars in alleged bribes.

The events allegedly occurred when Moreno was vice president during the presidential term of Rafael Correa (2007-2017), of which he is now a bitter political rival.

Source: Elcomercio

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