The former comptroller of Ecuador, Carlos Pólit, faces a maximum sentence of 20 years for each of the four charges related to money laundering.
Beginning of the trial hearing against the former comptroller of Ecuador, Carlos Pólit, in Florida, United States, on April 9, 2024.
For the United States Department of Justice, the verdict against former comptroller Carlos Pólit, accused of participating in a bribery and laundering scheme for more than USD 10 million, constitutes a sign that the US government is ” committed to collaborating with Ecuador to bringing criminals to justice.”
The guilty plea against Pólit was announced on the afternoon of April 23, after a two-week trial in federal court in Florida, United States.
Pólit, 73 years old and who in 2018 was sentenced in Ecuador to six years in prison, was facing six crimes in Miami for ” conspiracy to commit money laundering, money laundering and carrying out property transactions derived from illicit activities,” according to the file.
After hearing the ruling, the US Department of Justice further points out that this “verdict, after several years of investigation in a judicial process, demonstrates that true justice takes time and requires determination.”
He also expresses that in corruption cases, such as the process against Pólit, international cooperation is key.
“Let this case be a precedent so that no public official assumes that he is above the law in our countries,” the statement added.
After the jury’s decision, Judge Kathleen Williams must issue a sentence establishing the sentence that will be imposed on the former comptroller.
Pólit faces a maximum sentence of 20 years for each of the four charges related to money laundering, and a sentence of 10 years for each of the two charges of participating in transactions with resources derived from criminal activities.
The Prosecutor’s Office also requested the confiscation of two Pólit properties in Miami that, according to the accusation, are the result of his criminal activities in the money laundering operation.
Between 2010 and 2016, the Ecuadorian allegedly solicited and received more than $10 million in bribe payments from Odebrecht SA, the powerful Brazil-based construction conglomerate, according to the indictment.
He did so, using his “official position” to influence the official actions of the Comptroller’s Office for the benefit of Odebrecht and its businesses in Ecuador.
