“He is going to go to the National Assembly (Parliament) to defend his position and demonstrate the truth,” he said. the official to the Ecuavisa channel, one day after the National Assembly resolved -by 88 votes of the 116 legislators present in the session- to prosecute Lasso.
This is the second attempt to remove him from office in less than a year.
Yesterday, the Parliament of Ecuador approved advancing the impeachment trial against Lasso for embezzlement of public funds in contracts for the transportation of hydrocarbons between the state company flopc and Amazon Tankers, an alliance of firms.
According to the prosecution, even though Lasso was warned that the contract was detrimental to the country, with damage to the State estimated at 6.1 million dollarsAccording to the State Comptroller General, the president did not suspend the agreement.
How the political trial against Guillermo Lasso continues
After approval by more than 70 votes obtained yesterday, now a new session must be called for parliamentarians to pronounce themselves in favor or not of the censure and dismissal of the president.
The plenary session of the unicameral Legislative body, with an opposition majority, must once again gather a minimum of 92 votes from the 137 members to confirm the dismissal of the rulerwho in turn has the power to dissolve Congress and call early general elections.
In case of being dismissed, the vice president would assume the first magistracy until the year 2025.
According to assemblyman Fernando Cedeño (Unes), the call should be for this Monday, that is, one day after the renewal of the authorities of the Assembly scheduled for this Sunday, May 14. And the trial should go ahead even if President Lasso does not attend the session.
The Assembly, which this Sunday will elect its new president and two deputies to complete the current four-year constitutional term, must set the date for the trial before next week, which will take place even in the absence of the president.
Lasso, a former right-wing banker who is highly unpopular, is accused of embezzlement under a contract for the transportation of oil signed before he took office two years ago.
Cucalón insisted on the same position as Lasso, in the sense that “the president of the republic has not committed any embezzlement.”
“So far there is no proof, they have not been able to prove it because it does not exist,” the minister said, the AFP news agency reported.
“This process was born, has developed and will end without any proof, without any argument and with many vices,” said Cucalón.
The opposition led by the left-wing movement Revolución Ciudadana, led by former President Rafael Correa (2007-2017) -based in Belgium-, accuses Lasso of embezzlement in the management of the state-owned Flota Petrolera Ecuatoriana (Flopec) through contracts entered into between 2018 and 2020 .
Correísmo has a majority in Congress with close to 50 seats, while the ruling party Creating Opportunities (CREO) has barely a dozen.
Source: Ambito
