Court ratified compensation of USD 14.1 million of Jorge Glas in the Odebrecht case

A court of the National Court of Justice (CNJ) individualized the financial penalties that the eight sentenced in the Odebrecht case must pay.

Jorge Glas and the late Ricardo Rivera must pay the State more than USD 14 million.

Those involved were sentenced to six years in prison in December 2017 after being tried as the direct perpetrators of the crime of illicit association.

In September 2022, the same court defined in USD 33,396,116 the total value of the return that the sentenced had to assume; With the ratification of April 21, 2023, it was possible to define the corresponding amount that each person in charge will assume.

Personal amounts

1. Jorge Glas, former vice president and former minister in the government of Rafael Correa; $ 7,050,000
2. Ricardo Rivera, a telecommunications businessman and Glas’s uncle; $7,050,000
3. Edgar Arias, businessman; $10,012,000
4. Kepler Verduga, businessman; $1,473,524
5. Gustavo Massuh; businessman; $860,930
6. Rubén Terán, businessman; $749,705
7. Carlos Villamarín, former official of the Water Secretariat; $6,000,000
8. Ramiro Carrillo, a former Petroecuador official; 200,000

Of these values, Jorge Glas and his uncle who died in January 2022 due to covid-19, must jointly pay the USD 14,100,000 that corresponds to them.

As detailed, payments must be made through cash deposits in a single checking account of the Central Bank of Ecuador.

“Those sentenced are warned that, in case of non-compliance with this execution order, forced execution will proceed,” the execution judges of the National Court of Justice clarified.

Although the room confirmed that the payments had to be made within a maximum period of five days , that is, until April 27, it is unknown about any legal action subsequent to the provision.

In April 2022, the Court of the National Court ordered  the seizure of an apartment, a warehouse and a parking lot in Tonsupa, Esmeraldas. However, it was confirmed that Glas and his wife have the right to those properties with usufruct for life.

To this value of Glas, USD 778,224 is added as compensation for the crime of bribery, in the “Bribes” case.

Legal situation

Of all those involved, Gustavo Massuh, Rubén Terán and Kepler Verduga received a modified and reduced sentence of 14 months in prison due to their collaboration with the Prosecutor’s Office.

After five years of the Odebrecht case, none of the eight sentenced have served their sentence.

Jorge Glas was released from prison in November 2022 after receiving an autonomous precautionary measure. Ricardo Rivera was also released in December 2021 for a prison benefit from the semi-open regime. On his part, Edgar Arias, died of covid-19 in a hospital in Ambato after being transferred from a prison where he was serving his sentence.

The other five sentenced took advantage of constitutional guarantees and prison benefits that allowed them to leave prison early.

The economic sanctions of the deceased Rivera and Arias will be collected through the patrimony that they have left to their heirs.