Correa Gave his Oath in “The Big Brother” Case
Yesterday, Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa arrived to the Fifth Court of Civil of Pichincha, in Quito, at 16:00, to pay deferred his oath (sworn version) into the $ 10 million lawsuit against the authors of the book called ‘El Gran Hermano” (The Big Brother), which relates the million-dollar contracts to his brother Fabrizio.
The Fifth Civil Judge Maria Mercedes Portilla, did not accept the press to cover the oath. Only official media cameras had access.
“I come for another interrogation.” “A few words more, a few less,” Correa said with a smile, to the press outside the court: Daily Expreso, El Universo, La Hora, EL COMERCIO, El Telégrafo, Pepe; TV channels Ecuavisa, Teleamazonas and radio journalist.
As soon as he gave his oath he walked to the waiting room next door. He sat at a table between his two lawyers: Gutenberg Vera and Alembert Vera, father and son of 29 and 56 years. (They both also argue the case against El Universo newspaper.)
‘Christian Zurita and Juan Carlos Calderon are not being judged because they are journalists,” said President Rafael Correa. “They are being judged because what they have said is not true, for having insulted, slandered, defamed … If that would have been done by a couple of volunteer firefighters I would have had the same reaction.”
“I don’t feel like putting a lawsuit against my brother,” said Correa, who raised his voice to answer the question asked by a reporter of Teleamazonas TV: “I’ve already answered, no!, For what kind of reason you keep asking me that? You want to say that I present a complaint and a contradiction? I don’t feel like doing it! I am the one concerned, I can decide who to prosecute or not.”
Correa said that before the beginning of the legal proceedings he requested the authors of the book to “recognize their mistake, rectified, to end everything.”
(Fl)