With 109 of 137 legislators present in the chamber of the National Assembly in Quito, the political trial of Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso began on Tuesday in the Ecuadorian congress. The president will defend himself against a political accusation for embezzlement (embezzlement) for allowing the renewal of a contract between the Ecuadorian Oil Fleet and the Amazonas Tanker Pool company. Said contract was signed during the government of Lenín Moreno, before Lasso assumed the Presidency, according to the defense of the president.
13:11 Guillermo Lasso arrives at the National Assembly to defend himself in the political trial against him. The president entered in the middle of a step of honor and was received by the official legislators.
The president will have three hours to present his arguments, although it is expected that he will only use 40 minutes of his allotted time.
13:03 The Vice President of the Republic, Alfredo Borrero, arrives at the Legislative Palace. In a few minutes, President Guillermo Lasso will arrive.
12:51 Legislator Esteban Torres ends his speech by citing one of the well-remembered phrases of Argentine prosecutor Julio César Strassera: “With the strength of the democratic spirit, never again.” The president of the congress asks that they confirm the presence of Lasso in the legislative compound.
12:45 p.m. The pro-government bench leaves the plenary session to receive President Guillermo Lasso, who is about to reach the Legislature. The legislators left the chamber in the middle of the intervention of the second interpellant of the political trial.
12:26 Although the reason for which Guillermo Lasso is being judged politically is embezzlement, in his speech the legislator Esteban Torres refers to security issues. He also mentions corruption in public companies and freedom of the press.
“If the president is censured and removed, as I hope; the vice president will replace him… The current president has failed”, says Torres. He explains that the Social Christian bench did not previously participate in the attempts to remove the president, but this time he believes that there is a cause for Lasso to leave power.
Legislator Torres assures that the renewal of the contract between the Ecuadorian Oil Fleet and the Amazon Tanker Pool is the cause for which Lasso is being politically prosecuted for embezzlement and not for signing the same contract during the government of Lenín Moreno, his predecessor.
As with Assemblywoman Veloz, while Torres delivers her speech, the other legislators are looking at their cell phones, talking to each other, or distracted on their computers. Even the authorities of the National Assembly are talking to each other and not attending to the interpellation.
12:17 p.m. The legislator Viviana Veloz finished her speech amid applause from the members of the correista caucus. The president of the congress, Virgilio Saquicela, gives way to assemblyman and proponent Esteban Torres, from the Social Cristiano party, who will have 39 minutes to speak. Then he will start defending Lasso.
11:55 a.m. The first hour of intervention by the proponent Viviana Veloz is completed. According to the Law of the Legislative Function of Ecuador, the interpellants will have two hours to present their arguments. President Lasso is expected to arrive at the National Assembly around 1:00 p.m.
10:55 The correísta legislator, Viviana Veloz, one of the proponents of the impeachment trial, takes the floor: “Today, President Guillermo Lasso will not be able to hide or flee, he will not be able to hide behind the pants of his lawyers.”
Veloz assures that Lasso has destroyed Ecuador: “How many lives does he intend to sacrifice to realize that he cannot govern?” he said. The congresswoman’s argument will be divided into three parts: presentation of evidence, legal grounds for the trial, and closing argument.
“The political trial cannot be quasi-criminal,” says Veloz. He refers to the fact that the National Assembly cannot judge, as ordinary justice would do, since it is not within its powers. He also explains that they do not need a prior court ruling to proceed with the political prosecution.
The legislator presents videos of statements by Guillermo Lasso, set to music with the film’s soundtrack The Godfatherin reference to the name given to the investigation into an alleged corruption network in the government: “His words condemn him,” repeats Veloz.
10:39 President Guillermo Lasso spoke on Twitter about his defense today: “Ecuadorians demand that we solve their daily problems and put an end to an irrational confrontation that exhausts the patience of the population, increases restlessness and weakens our democracy. At noon I will be in the National Assembly facing trial without evidence,” he wrote. Lasso will have three hours to defend himself and will be accompanied by his entire ministerial cabinet.
10:36 The Secretary General of the National Assembly reads the resolution that led to the impeachment. Around 20 pro-government legislators who were holding a meeting on one side of the chamber took up their seats.
10:31 The Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (Conaie) issues a statement assuring that “there are millions of voices for the censorship and dismissal of President Guillermo Lasso. This is the popular cry after two years of bad government”. In the statement, the Conaie reminded the Pachakutik bench, from its political wing, that the indigenous legislators have “the obligation to keep their word expressed before the Ecuadorian people, we will not tolerate “absences” or betrayals, act coherently as required the bases that elected them”, it reads.
10:16 The order of the day is verified and the legislators proceed to sing the Ecuadorian Anthem. The impeachment session has officially begun.
10:13 It is verified that the necessary quorum exists to install the impeachment session against the president of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso. The session will begin, after the formalities, with the questioning of the impeachment proponents, who will have two hours to present their arguments.
10:00 In the neighboring sectors and in the mediation of the National Assembly of Ecuador, supporters of President Guillermo Lasso gathered. There are LED screens that broadcast propaganda videos and that will allow people to follow the president’s defense.
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