Government respects judicial decisions in case Balda
Ecuadornews:
The Ecuadorian government announced its respect for the autonomy of State functions and sent protest notes to its counterparts in Venezuela and Bolivia for its pronouncements on the legal process against former President Rafael C. Once Judge Daniella Camacho dictated, the past Tuesday, the order of preventive detention against the former president for his alleged participation in the kidnapping of the ex-ambassador Fernando Balda, in 2012, the presidents Evo Morales, of Bolivia, and Nicolás Maduro, of Venezuela, criticized the measure and “the lack of independence in justice.”
The chancellor of Ecuador, José Valencia, announced on Wednesday, July 4, the sending of notes of protests to both nations. The Ambassador of Ecuador in Bolivia, Franklin Columba, was also called to consultations. In addition, the trip of Fabián Solano, who was to head the Ecuadorian legation in Caracas, was suspended.
“We demand as democratic government the respect of neighboring governments to our division of powers and to the work that the Judicial Power is doing in Ecuador,” he said. Juan Sebastián Roldán, private secretary of President Lenín Moreno, said that the institutions in the country act with probity and attached to the law.
He stressed that President Lenin Moreno supports the Judicial Power so that “it continues to act independently and democratically.”
The preventive prison
The judge of Criminal Guarantees, Daniella Camacho, will present in writing next week the measure on preventive detention against the former president. It will also notify the Presidency of the National Court of Justice (CNJ) to proceed with the extradition proceedings if necessary, after the former head of state did not appear in court on Monday.
She ruled that Rafael C. should appear every 15 days before the General Secretariat of the CNJ, for his involvement in the supposed kidnapping of Fernando Balda. Reactions in the Assembly The issue transcended politically. In the National Assembly, assembly members of different groups (except for Citizen Revolution) considered that the decision of Judge Daniella Camacho denotes the judicial independence that the country is experiencing, mainly since the arrival of President Lenin Moreno.
Gabriela Rivadeneira and Verónica Arias (Citizen’s Revolution) asserted that the legal process is vitiated by illegality and that there is a frontal “political persecution” against ex-federal Rafael C.
However, Lourdes Cuesta (CREO), said that the judge acted in law, applying what the law establishes. She stated that this practice was impossible in the previous administration. “That shows that Correa’s lawyers were not good. They won the trials because they called (the judges) and intimidated, “she said.
Although she maintained that there are still remnants of “correísmo” within the Judicial Branch, nowadays the actions are done “without fear”. Jorge Yunda, from Alianza PAIS, hopes that in the future there will be no political interference neither from the previous government nor from the current one in the administration of justice. “The policy must be away from these accusations with the legitimate right to defense. I do not want to think about persecution or concealment.
We are all equal before the law”. Henry Cucalón, of the Social Christian Party (PSC), considered that the action against the former presidenr is not a political persecution. He made a call not to fall into the “victimization of Rafael C. which is what he wanted”. He invited the former presidenr to be subject to the legal system that exists in the country, since up to now he has not been accused of anything.
Currently, the process against him is in a stage of linkage and investigation of evidence. “So far, former president Rafael C. has not been accused of anything,” said Cucalón. (I)