International

STF of Brazil annuls Odebrecht “evidence” against Jorge Glas

Photo: EFE

August 11|

Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court (STF) on Thursday issued a ruling that annuls the evidence presented by the company Odebrecht against the former vice president of Ecuador, Jorge Glas, confirmed this Friday the international law firm, Juscogens.

The communication recalls that Glas was unjustly convicted in Ecuador, while explaining that “the annulment is based on the fact that the evidence was delivered without judicial authorization and without respecting due legal process”.

Glas’ defense, led by Brussels-based Juscogens, challenged the validity of Odebrecht’s evidence before Brazil’s STF and “demonstrated the illegality of the evidence through strategic, innovative and effective litigation.”

The legal team expresses that the annulled evidence includes documents and testimonies provided by Odebrecht executives, which were illegally used by the Ecuadorian prosecution in a “process that has been criticized for directing and selecting evidence a la carte”.

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In this sense, they denounced that “this practice has questioned the integrity of the legal process in the region. The STF’s determination to annul this evidence not only deals a blow to the fight against corruption in Latin America, but also sheds a critical light on the tactics employed by Odebrecht, a company that admitted to having paid more than $700 million in bribes, often in a targeted and selective manner.”

The then Ecuadorian vice president was in prison for more than five years for Odebrecht-related convictions. However, in April 2022, he was granted provisional release under precautionary measures.

According to his lawyers, Glas’ case highlights “the trend of lawfare in Latin America, defined by the Lawfare Observatory of the Latin American Strategic Center for Geopolitics (CELAC) as a political war through judicial-media channels, with economic, political and geopolitical interests hidden from public opinion”.

They exemplify that “leaders such as Cristina Fernández de Kirchner in Argentina and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Brazil have been victims of this strategy, which has been dismantled or reversed in many cases”.

Former Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa, whose second in command was Glass himself, celebrated the decision: “The farce is over!

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International

Argentina detects first local cases of Influenza A (H3N2) Subclade K

Argentina’s National Administration of Laboratories and Health Institutes (ANLIS) “Dr. Carlos G. Malbrán” has confirmed the detection of three cases of influenza A (H3N2) corresponding to subclade K in the country. These are the first locally recorded cases of this variant, which has become predominant in several countries in the Northern Hemisphere in recent months and is associated with higher transmissibility.

The cases were identified through the National Network of Laboratories and Sentinel Units and confirmed by the National Reference Laboratory of INEI-ANLIS using genomic sequencing techniques. According to health authorities, the cases involve two adolescents from the province of Santa Cruz, detected as part of the Ambulatory Monitoring Strategy for Acute Respiratory Infections, and a child who had been hospitalized in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires.

In all three cases, patients experienced mild illness and recovered without complications. Officials did not specify whether any of the affected individuals had a recent travel history.

The jurisdictions involved have already launched the corresponding epidemiological investigations and are responsible for ensuring timely medical care for the detected cases. According to the latest integrated surveillance report, the circulation of influenza and other respiratory viruses in Argentina remains within expected levels for this time of year.

International

Pentagon confirms Trump pick for SouthCom as U.S. military pressure grows

Former U.S. President Donald Trump has nominated a Marine Corps lieutenant general to lead U.S. Southern Command (SouthCom), the Pentagon announced on Friday, as Trump said he does not rule out the possibility of a war with Venezuela.

If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Marine Corps Lieutenant General Francis L. Donovan would replace an admiral who, according to media reports, criticized recent attacks on vessels allegedly linked to drug trafficking off the Venezuelan coast.

Washington has deployed a significant military presence in both the Caribbean and the Pacific, where it has carried out airstrikes against boats it claims were used by suspected drug traffickers. According to an AFP tally based on official information, the attacks have left more than 100 people dead.

The Venezuelan government has denounced what it describes as a plot to overthrow President Nicolás Maduro and seize the country’s oil resources.

In a statement published Friday on the Pentagon’s website, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced that Trump had nominated Lieutenant General Donovan to serve as commander of U.S. Southern Command.

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SouthCom is responsible for U.S. military operations in Central and South America, as well as parts of the Caribbean.

According to the Department of Defense, Donovan currently serves as deputy commander of U.S. Special Operations Command. His appointment is subject to Senate confirmation.

International

Trump moves to reclassify marijuana as less dangerous substance

Former U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous addictive substance, a move aimed at encouraging medical research without immediately opening the door to federal-level decriminalization.

Trump said that “people were begging” him to make the decision, particularly individuals suffering from chronic pain. He stressed, however, that the measure “is not at all a decriminalization” of marijuana for non-medical use.

“I’ve always told my children: don’t use drugs, don’t drink, don’t smoke,” Trump added. He is a well-known teetotaler.

A senior government official described the decision as “common sense” during a briefing with reporters, noting that marijuana and CBD-based products — a compound derived from cannabis known for its relaxing properties — are already widely used in the United States by patients dealing with chronic pain.

Most U.S. states currently allow the use of cannabis for medical purposes, and more than 20 states, along with the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C., have also legalized recreational use.