At 10 p.m. local time on 5 April (5 a.m. in Italy), a contingent formed by Army Paratroopers Commandos and the Grupo Operaciones Especiales (GOE) of Ecuadorian police surrounded and subsequently stormed the Mexican Embassy in Quito, Ecuador, arresting former Vice-President Jorge Glas, convicted of misuse of public funds and with strong links to drug trafficking.
This is one of the rare cases in recent history where the diplomatic immunity of an embassy has been openly breached, violating one of the fundamental principles of diplomatic sovereignty as enshrined in the 1961 Vienna Convention.
Glas, who served as vice-president under the presidency of Rafael Correa, was found guilty, definitively, in a number of corruption cases. On 15 December 2017, he was sentenced to 6 years in prison for the illegal withdrawal of USD 13.5 million from the Brazilian conglomerate Odebrecht, a sentence upheld by the National Supreme Court in October 2019. In 2020, he received a further 8-year sentence for aggravated corruption and the loss of political rights for 25 years. In January 2021, the total sentence increases to 22 years following a conviction for misuse of public funds.
He is also under investigation for corruption charges related to the reconstruction of the earthquake-ravaged city of Manabí in 2016. Further allegations link him to drug trafficking figures, further aggravating his legal position. According to the Ecuadorian judiciary, the bail for his 2022 parole, set at USD 250,000, was paid by drug trafficker Leandro Norero.
Freed on bail, however, after 40 days Glas found refuge in the Mexican embassy in Quito. Yesterday afternoon's decision by the Mexican president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, to grant Glas political asylum had already aroused diplomatic tensions between the two countries.
Tonight's military operation clearly indicated that the Ecuadorian government, led by young President Daniel Noboa, has no intention of leaving any escape route for individuals linked to crimes of corruption or drug trafficking, even if protected by diplomatic immunity. This dramatic development comes at a time when Ecuador is intensifying its fight against crime. Glas's arrest represents a significant blow to the state of impunity that some criminals have exploited in the past in the country's diplomatic premises.
Rafael Correa, president of Ecuador from 2007 to 2017, moved to Belgium in July 2017 after completing his term. Correa has been involved in numerous court cases, including charges of embezzlement, organised crime, human rights violations, and planning the kidnapping of politician Fernando Balda. In 2020, he was sentenced to eight years in prison in the Sobornos case for corruption.
Pedro Delgado, president of Banco Central del Ecuador, fled to the US in 2012. Delgado was sentenced to eight years in prison for bank embezzlement and five years for illicit enrichment.
Carlos Ochoa, former Superintendent of Communication, fled to Mexico in 2018 after receiving a pre-trial detention order. Ochoa is accused of falsifying the Communication Law to sanction local media.
Sofía Espín, a former assemblywoman, left Ecuador for Bolivia, then Mexico in 2018, while she was under investigation for influence peddling. Her case was dismissed in December 2019, allowing her to return to Ecuador.
Ricardo Patiño, minister in several Correa governments, left the Andean country for Mexico after being charged with instigation. He is known in Ecuador for his call to 'take over public institutions'.
Fernando Alvarado, former Secretary of Communication and Minister of Tourism, fled to Venezuela in 2018, evading several controls and after removing his electronic bracelet.
Vinicio Alvarado, former Minister of Tourism and former Secretary of Administration, is currently in Venezuela after an eight-year prison sentence for corruption.
Carlos Pólit, a former state councillor-general, and his son John fled to Miami in 2017, before being convicted of corruption in the Odebrecht case. Pólit enjoys US citizenship, which complicates his extradition.
Ramiro González, former IESS Board President and Minister of Industries, has been living in Lima, Peru, since he fled in 2017. Accused of tax defrauding and trafficking in influence, his extradition was denied by the Peruvian justice system.
Carlos Viteri, a former assembler, received political asylum in Mexico after seeking refuge in the Mexican embassy in Quito following the unrest in 2019.
Soledad Buendía, former assembler, and Gabriela Rivadeneiraformer Speaker of the Assembly and legislator, fled to Mexico after the 2019 national paro, citing political persecution.
Luis Molina, a former alternate assembler, fled to Mexico without a specific charge against him, following in the footsteps of other colleagues.
María de los Ángeles Duarte, a former Minister of Transport, took refuge in the Argentine embassy in Quito in 2020 after being sentenced to eight years in prison for corruption.
Walter Solís, former Minister of Transport, is one of the most wanted and is presumed to have fled to the USA. Two Interpol red alerts hang over him.
Yesterday's event thus marks a total break in diplomatic relations between Ecuador and Mexico, which were already at rock bottom.
The implications of this move are vast, raising questions about diplomatic sovereignty, international law and Ecuador's determination to pursue justice. While the Andean country celebrates the action as a success in the fight against corruption, the international community will remain attuned to the ramifications of this unprecedented act, which could redefine the boundaries of diplomatic immunity in serious crime situations.
