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18 people knew about the Jorge Gabela case report
Posted On 27 Aug 2018
Ecuadornews:
Two pages are the only record that gives an account of who would know the results of the third expert report, in which the motive and the suspects involved in the assassination of General Jorge Gabela, who denounced anomalies in the purchase of seven Drhuv helicopters, are indicated.
There are the names of 18 people who participated in a ‘key’ meeting of the Interinstitutional Committee that Rafael Correa created in 2012, to investigate the death of Gabela, and to which he was given a report that is ‘disappeared’ from the government archives , prepared by the Argentine expert Roberto Meza.
After the decision to declassify information on the case, there are 124 documents, including minutes and attendance lists that are in the Occasional Committee of the Assembly created to investigate this death.
One of these sheets is the “Gabela General Meeting attendance list”, dated November 18, 2013, the day on which the third product or final report of the expert was read.
In the building of the ECU-911 in the capital, ministers and delegates made “formal observations” to the document, according to the former secretary of Justice and who chaired this committee, Lenin Lara, to the legislative Commission on July 19 last.
To that appointment were Diana Espinoza and Javier Cordova, civil servant and vice minister of the Interior; Michel Camacho, Christian Castillo and Diego Guzmán, of the National Secretariat of Public Administration (SNAP); Susana Vaca, from the Ministry Coordinator of Security; Santiago Medranda, María Fernanda Carillo and Ivette Macancela, of the Defense portfolio, and her former minister, María Fernanda Espinosa. Also Wilson Mayorga, Nadia Ruiz, Paola Carrera and Carlos Arias, of Justice. And two other people, whose names are not legible.
Lara is not in the registry, but in the legislative committee confirmed that he was there, as well as Homero Arellano, former Security coordinating minister; and Guzmán himself.
The latter said in the Bureau of the Assembly that he did not remember anything from that date. He appeared on August 13.
When lawmakers asked him what he knew about that appointment, he warned that “he was no longer Secretary of Transparency” (he left this position on June 12, 2013). But his signature was as a delegate of the “SNAP”.
He attended other meetings, such as October 16 and October 30 as assistant secretary of the SNAP. Despite this, he did not remember how many sessions he attended and neither “have read or received or been informed about a third report”.
When asked if there was talk of organized crime as the motive for the crime, he replied that in the “event that it was on another date and that it was there, I do not remember that there was any accusation or anything about any person as authors of the alleged crime”.
Lara attended the legislative session on July 19, and reported that on November 18 observations were made in the report that “should be met to follow the procedure” and be presented to Correa.
He assured that there is evidence that “there was a final product” that was received through an administrative act, which “we could review when it was presented to the Committee.”
“The formalities were fulfilled, otherwise, it could not proceed with the reception and payment,” he said.
Meza had to deliver three products. If the second met the hypothesis that there was a motive for the crime, it would go to the third, to establish intellectual authors.
Committee members commented on the report before November 18. The declassified documents reveal that on August 16, “it is recorded in the minutes” that “the final product is not in accordance with the provisions of the contract.” They requested extensions.
On August 23, Meza was asked to “restructure the elements that support and / or distort the hypotheses due to formalities.” And that same day delivers the product with those observations.
On September 2, the single receipt delivery document is signed, in which the “parties declare their acceptance of the agreement”, because they believe that the work was “satisfied”.
The act is signed by the ex-servant of the Ministry of Justice, Jéssica Jaramillo, contract administrator, Meza and technician Jorge Pazmiño.
Two days after November 18, 2013, a team of advisers and delegates from various ministries met.
Five months later, on April 29, 2014, the committee meets. In May of that year, Meza was asked to “eliminate” eight pages of his report. Although it has not been specified if he did.
There are no payrolls for eight months; and in January 2015 the Committee meets with new actors and ministers.
Last appointment
The last record of a meeting of the Committee is June 15, 2015, ten days before the delivery of the “Final report” to Rafael Correa. He was Pedro Solines, former secretary of the Administration; Diego Fuentes, of the Ministry of the Interior; Fernando Cordero, former Minister of Defense; Ramiro Aguirre, delegate of the Ministry of Security, and Ledy Zúñiga, former Minister of Justice, who said that the text had been given to Correa. (I)
