QUITO.- The authorities of Ecuador They revealed the greatest infiltration of drug trafficking in the judicial system of that country, revealing compromising links with the former vice president. Jorge Glas.
Glas, convicted of corruption and on parole since 2022, is now involved in a scandal that points to his release thanks to the bribe of $250,000 by drug trafficker Leandro Norero, known as “El Patrón.”
Attorney General Diana Salazar revealed details of the investigations, pointing out that the payment to judicial officials was made with the perspective of obtaining future favors, expressed in terms of a “little favor” that would be collected when Glas assumed the presidency.
These allegations arise within the framework of the “Metastasis Case”, the most extensive operation against corruption and drug trafficking in Ecuador. So far, 31 judicial officials, police officers and lawyers, including Wilman Terán and General Pablo Ramírez, have been arrested for their alleged participation in this bribery network.
Jorge Glass takes refuge in Mexico
Despite the accusations, Glas is currently taking refuge in the Mexican embassy in Quito, while authorities seek to resolve the situation in court, emphasizing that the case should not be addressed in embassies.
Norero’s payment, according to the prosecutor, would also have benefited Daniel Salcedo, a fugitive from justice and accused of embezzlement and illegal sale of medical supplies during the pandemic. Norero was murdered in 2022 in an Ecuadorian prison.
The attorney general, alluding to the strategy of organized crime, highlighted that political control is an integral part, and one tactic to obtain said control is to grant favors with the expectation of collecting them later.
Additionally, the prosecutor’s office is investigating Glas in another case related to alleged embezzlement in the reconstruction of works in the province of Manabí after the 2016 earthquake, when he served as vice president. The National Anti-Corruption Commission supports the investigation and urges the judicial function to act on the complaints, focusing on the honest segments of the judicial system.
Source: With information from AP
