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Fabián Salazar replaces Thania Moreno in the Office of the Prosecutor
Posted On 21 Mar 2018
Ecuadornews:
The ex-prosecutor will present a protective action for the Judicial Council to lift its suspension. Carlos Baca agrees to consult the Procurator about the succession. The coordinator of the Transparency Unit, Fabián Salazar, will replace Thania Moreno, as provincial prosecutor of Pichincha, after yesterday the Council of the Judicature (CJ) formalized the temporary suspension for 90 days to the official. However, the functions of general prosecutor of the surrogate State, which Moreno also fulfilled, remain in abeyance until the Attorney General’s Office issues its ruling on the consultation made by the CJ regarding the succession in the authorities of the Office of the Prosecutor.
The president of the CJ, Gustavo Jalkh, in statements to the press on Monday, indicated that in 15 days the Office of the Attorney General would answer the question. On this basis, the Judiciary will decide on who will act temporarily as subrogated general prosecutor. By means of a communiqué, yesterday the General Prosecutor’s Office confirmed the appointment of Salazar, who will review the cases that Moreno was dealing with and that should be pronounced.
The best known is the case for alleged embezzlement in the Esmeraldas Refinery that went up in consultation with the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office, before a ruling in favor of Carlos P.Y. In addition, it must review the dispositions and advances of the four previous investigations opened against the State Attorney General, Carlos Baca, as well as the Estrella Dorada case or Police Passes, among others. The new career prosecutor acted as coordinator of the Transparency Unit of the Prosecutor’s Office in replacement of Diana Salazar, who on February 20 of this year was appointed by the president, Lenin Moreno, as director of the Financial and Economic Analysis Unit (UAFE)
Since that date, Fabián Salazar has been mediatic for the type of cases he is in charge of, such as the judicialization of the audios of the conversation between former Comptroller Carlos P. and the ex-president of the Assembly, José Serrano, in which they referred in hard terms of the prosecutor Carlos Baca.
In addition, he was the one who in the last days issued an abstentious opinion in favor of the businessman from Cuenca, Juan Eljuri, in the Sai Bank case, for the illegal collection of money in the Odebrecht corruption scheme. It also issued a non-accusatory ruling in favor of two of the three defendants in the case of the alleged death threats against the ex-prosecutor and current director of the UAFE, Diana Salazar. Fabián Salazar investigated the alleged recording cameras installed in the Government Palace, for allegedly spying on President Lenin Moreno.
Thania Moreno will present protective action
As usual, yesterday, Thania Moreno went to her office and after 09:00 he officially received the two-page document, in which the CJ officially notifies her of the temporary suspension of her duties. In the letter signed by the president of the CJ, Gustavo Jalkh, dated March 19 at 4:00 p.m., he explains the background of the decision taken and based on the four administrative complaints filed against him before the Judiciary. It exposes the competence, the standing and the origin of the provisional suspension and on the last page of the two pages the resolution is required.
“To order the provisional suspension measure in the exercise of her functions, without loss of remuneration for up to the maximum period of 90 days, against Dr. Thania Rosa Moreno Romero, in her capacity as Provincial Prosecutor of Pichincha and Subrogante General Prosecutor” , indicates the resolution. Moreno admitted that with this he loses competence to act and can no longer issue any action, so the only thing remaining is to leave the job. As one of the activities for yesterday, he had planned to deliver his statement on the case of embezzlement in Petroecuador.
Moreno announced that he will file a protection action for the CJ to lift its suspension and invited the resolution of the Judiciary to be carefully analyzed. “Within what is the administrative part, this is a precautionary measure, I have not yet been notified of the opening of an administrative summary, but they indicate that there are serious and urgent facts that merit me to be suspended,” he said.
She said that after receiving and reading the notification, she considers that “the legal arguments are not valid”, so she will interpose the protection measure. She added that she will file a complaint against Tomás Alvear, general director of the CJ, because, according to her, he would have asked her last Monday to resign, otherwise she would receive a precautionary measure.
During a visit to the Judicial Complex of La Florida, in the north of Guayaquil, the State Attorney General, Carlos Baca Mancheno, referred to the situation of Thania Moreno. “It’s a decision made by the Judicial Council. It is essential that transparency prevails in the country, including the institutions that administer justice. “Baca Mancheno agrees with the request to the Procurator, who will establish the succession of the Prosecutor. (I)
