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Jorge Glas, in jail and with a life pension of 4,000 dollars
Posted On 02 Oct 2018
Ecuadornews:
The @JorgeGlasLibre account reads a fixed tweet that, on the occasion of his 49th birthday, says: “@JorgeGlas the man of the mega projects, Jorge Glas the man of the change of the productive matrix, Jorge Glas the man of the hydroelectric plants. ..” That same Jorge Glas today fulfills 365 days of preventive detention.
If the sentence is ratified, it would be the first of the six years he was convicted – together with four other people, among whom is his uncle Ricardo Rivera – for leading a corruption network linked to the bribes that Odebrecht distributed in exchange for contracts.
On the day of delivery, on October 2, 2017, when he boarded the small plane that took him from Guayaquil to Quito, a soldier joined him and another extended his hand. Before, he had used a special room to say goodbye to his friends and family. At midnight, when he crossed the threshold of the Jail 4 gate, he wore a dark suit and tie. He had bodyguards and the credentials of half-vice president: of the 131 days in office, the last 60 had exercised them without functions.
If his running mate, President Lenin Moreno, had warned him months before that “unfortunately, the finger points more and more to you”, when he settled in prison for justice his name tied the loose ends that left dozens of testimonies, documents, chats, recordings … The crime: illicit association. In December he was sentenced to 6 years in prison and to pay with his uncle $ 14 million to the State.
His lawyer, Eduardo Franco Loor, appealed without luck once and now asked for a cassation hearing. If the reverse is repeated, it will go to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
At the same time, during this time, the Office of the Prosecutor has launched two new investigations against Glas: for bribery and organized crime.
To this are added other ordered by the Court of Justice, of which there are still no results: embezzlement, concussion, illicit enrichment, influence peddling, money laundering and stealing.
The Comptroller’s office, for its part, has determined three solidarity glosses (shared with more ex-employees): one for $ 49 million for the contract for the exploration and exploitation of gas in block 3; another for $ 31 million for leading the assignment of the concession contract between Conelec and Machala Power; and a third of $ 5.2 million for the exploration and exploitation of the Singue field (in this case there are criminal indications).
The control agencies opened more files (Petrochina, Caminosca, etc.), but they have not concluded yet.
Both Glas and his detractors ask where the money of the alleged corruption is. The last ones to recover public funds, while Glas does it as a challenge: he says to show him only one test against him.
After a year of confinement, in Jail 4, created to protect the physical integrity of convicted policemen, bankers and politicians, Glas, in appearance, is one more. But not so much: he has received attention for gastritis, he has undergone a treatment to recover his hair and he continues to receive a life pension as a former vice president.
From October to December 2017, when he had been in prison for three months and asked for a vacation to defend himself, he charged $ 5,410 a month, according to the Vice Presidency. For the first week of January – when his definitive absence was notified – he received $ 721.33 for the same concept. No compensation is specified in the public information available.
When changing his status, in his capacity as former vice president, Glas took refuge in the pension that the exmandatarios receive, which is $ 4,057.5 per month, according to the Ministry of Labor.
When asked about the amounts, lawyer Franco Loor takes a few minutes and confirms: “The exact figure I do not know …but the wife just told me that she normally receives that pension.” (I)
