Pachakutik Assemblyman Clever Jimenez, his advisor Fernando Villavicencio and activist Carlos Figueroa, against the judgment whithin the trial for libel won by President Rafael Correa against them, were denied in their appeal made on last Tuesday at the Criminal Court of Justice (CNJ for its Spanish acronym).
The verdict, which has been ratified on the third instance, determine that the assemblyman and his advisor must perform 18 months in prison, and Figueroa six.
In 2011, Jimenez, Villavicencio and Figueroa filed a complaint with the Prosecutor’s Office accusing Correa of ordering an armed raid at the Police Hospital just to be rescued during police revolt of September 30, 2010. However, after 9 months of investigation, prosecutors found no evidence for such claim and therefore was declared as malicious and reckless. Subsequently, Correa decided to fight back with a lawsuit.
