International
Former Correísta vice president Jorge Glas, sentenced to 13 years in prison for embezzlement in Ecuador
A court of the National Court of Justice of Ecuador unanimously decided on Monday to sentence former Correísta vice-president Jorge Glas to 13 years in prison for embezzlement (embezzlement of public funds) during the process of reconstruction of the areas affected by the 2016 earthquake, the case that led him to request asylum from the Mexican Embassy in Quito and that he was arrested in an invasion of the diplomatic headquarters when they granted it.
Along with Glas, who was in the courtroom in person, Carlos Bernal, former technical secretary of the Manabí Reconstruction Committee, created with the aim of carrying out the most urgent works, also received the same years in prison, who must also pay a fine of 60 unified basic salaries ($28,200) and compensation of 250 million dollars.
The court, composed of judges Mercedes Caicedo, Marco Rodríguez and Javier De la Cadena, determined that Glas and Bernal used their positions as president and secretary of the Committee to “abuse public money” that was to be used “for the care of earthquake victims”.
The magistrates considered the thesis of the Prosecutor’s Office, which during the trial of the case called the Reconstruction of Manabí, assured that Glas, who presided over the Committee, and Bernal prioritized projects of works that were not urgent and that the urgent requirements of those affected by the earthquake were not met, which generated a damage to the State of more than 225 million dollars.
The financing of these works, some of them unfinished or classified as unnecessary, came from funds from the Solidarity Law, created to alleviate the damage of the earthquake.
“This money from Ecuadorians was allocated to 11 non-priority projects that would have benefited particular interests in the allocation and signing of contracts, and in the securities canceled by complementary and inspection contracts,” the Public Ministry said.
Glas assured days ago that he did not administer “a single dollar” during the reconstruction process, but Judge Caicedo said in the reading of the decision that, although the former vice president of Correísta did not sign contracts, they could show “his impulse to process and approve the prioritization of works under the context of an emergency, but that they did not attend to the emergency, but rather to an arbitrariness.”
In the same sense, Bernal’s defense had assured that the former secretary of the Committee did not award contracts either, but the magistrate pointed out that she was promoting the disbursement of money so that the institutions make those contracts and that the budget of some of those prioritized projects “finally reached the coffers of Bernal Alvarado’s family because the contracts were directed towards them.”
The judges also ordered the loss of participation rights for 25 years of both and that the Prosecutor’s Office initiates investigations into beneficiaries of contracts prioritized by the Committee, especially to the works related to Bernal’s family.
“This is not the trial of a political crime nor is it a political decision, this is about funds that were not used in favor of the victims of the earthquake, who to date suffer the pain of loss, so it is necessary to repair the damage caused by the actions carried out by Jorge Glas and Carlos Bernal,” Caicedo added.
Jorge Glas, one of the strongmen of the Government of Rafael Correa (2007-2017), is already serving an eight-year prison sentence following two convictions for corruption imposed in 2017, for illicit association in the Odebrecht case, and in 2020 for bribery in the Bribery case, in which Correa was also sentenced to eight years and politically disqualified.
At the end of 2022 he was released from prison thanks to a controversial and irregular judicial decision and he remained free for just over a year, until at the end of 2023 he arrived at the Mexican Embassy in Quito, where he asked for asylum, when he warned that the Prosecutor’s Office sought to prosecute him for this same case.
Months later, on April 5, 2024, the President of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, ordered the assault of the diplomatic headquarters to arrest Jorge Glas, once the Mexican Government had granted him asylum considering him a “political persecuted” and since that day he is imprisoned in La Roca, the maximum security prison of the country.
The invasion of the embassy led to the rupture of relations between the two countries and a dispute in the International Court of Justice, where Mexico accuses Ecuador of having broken the inviolability of the diplomatic headquarters and Ecuador blames the North American country of having contravened the treaties that regulate diplomatic asylum.
International
U.S. Senate Rejects Budget, Bringing Government Closer to Shutdown Amid DHS Dispute
The U.S. Senate voted on Thursday against a budget proposal in a move aimed at pressuring changes at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), following the killing of two civilians during a deployment of immigration agents in Minneapolis.
All Senate Democrats and seven Republican lawmakers voted against the bill, which requires 60 votes to advance, pushing the country closer to a partial government shutdown that would cut funding for several agencies, including the Pentagon and the Department of Health.
The rejection came as Senate leaders and the White House continue negotiations on a separate funding package for DHS that would allow reforms to the agency. Proposed measures include banning Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from wearing face coverings and requiring them to use body-worn cameras during operations.
The vote took place just hours after President Donald Trump said he was “close” to reaching an agreement with Democrats and did not believe the federal government would face another shutdown, following last year’s record stoppage.
“I don’t think the Democrats want a shutdown either, so we’ll work in a bipartisan way to avoid it. Hopefully, there will be no government shutdown. We’re working on that right now,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting at the White House.
International
Trump Says Putin Agreed to One-Week Halt in Attacks on Ukraine Amid Extreme Cold
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he secured a commitment from Russian President Vladimir Putinto halt attacks against Ukraine for one week, citing extreme weather conditions affecting the region.
“Because of the extreme cold (…) I personally asked Putin not to attack Kyiv or other cities and towns for a week. And he agreed. He was very pleasant,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting broadcast by the White House.
Trump acknowledged that several advisers had questioned the decision to make the call.
“A lot of people told me not to waste the call because they wouldn’t agree. And he accepted. And we’re very happy they did, because they don’t need missiles hitting their towns and cities,” the president said.
According to Trump, Ukrainian authorities reacted with surprise to the announcement but welcomed the possibility of a temporary ceasefire.
“It’s extraordinarily cold, record cold (…) They say they’ve never experienced cold like this,” he added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later commented on the announcement, expressing hope that the agreement would be honored.
International
Storm Kristin Kills Five in Portugal, Leaves Nearly 500,000 Without Power
Storm Kristin, which battered Portugal with heavy rain and strong winds early Wednesday, has left at least five people dead, while nearly half a million residents remained without electricity as of Thursday, according to updated figures from authorities.
The revised death toll was confirmed to AFP by a spokesperson for the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANPEC). On Wednesday, the agency had reported four fatalities.
Meanwhile, E-Redes, the country’s electricity distribution network operator, said that around 450,000 customers were still without power, particularly in central Portugal.
Emergency services responded to approximately 1,500 incidents between midnight and 8:00 a.m. local time on Wednesday, as the storm caused widespread disruptions.
The Portuguese government described Kristin as an “extreme weather event” that inflicted significant damage across several regions of the country. At the height of the storm, as many as 850,000 households and institutions lost electricity during the early hours of Wednesday.
Several municipalities ordered the closure of schools, many of which remained shut on Thursday due to ongoing adverse conditions.
Ricardo Costa, regional deputy commander of the Leiria Fire Brigade, said residents continue to seek assistance as rainfall persists.
“Even though the rain is not extremely intense, it is causing extensive damage to homes,” he noted.
In Figueira da Foz, a coastal city in central Portugal, strong winds toppled a giant Ferris wheel, underscoring the severity of the storm.
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