By Alexandra Valencia
Quito (Reuters) – A group of Ecuadorian opposition lawmakers on Thursday formally requested the start of impeachment proceedings against President Guillermo Lasso over alleged corruption allegations, which the president has adamantly denied.
Lawmakers earlier this month approved a report accusing Laso of links to possible crimes against the public administration, amid investigations by the attorney general’s office into alleged bribery in state-owned enterprises.
They also voted to declassify files related to corruption investigations looking for evidence to support the impeachment bid, but neither Laso nor any of his relatives appeared in the documents.
The official request for impeachment – submitted by a lawmaker from former president Rafael Correa’s party – garnered 59 signatures in favor.
“This indictment will show how President Guillermo Laso Mendoza participated in a structure of corruption to obtain his own benefits and the interests of third parties,” the lawmakers said in the motion for the trial.
The government rejected the opposition’s request because it lacks political and legal elements and said it has been seeking to destabilize its administration for nearly two years.
In a statement, he added, “This political trial is not an act of control, but another attempt at the many destabilizations that the National Assembly has carried out in less than two years.”
Supporters need the prior approval of the Constitutional Court to carry out impeachment proceedings.
A total of 92 deputies in the 137-member body will have to agree to censure or remove Lasu if the process reaches a final vote.
“The president bears political responsibility for the crimes of extortion and embezzlement,” said Viviana Fellowes, who submitted the request. “This association will define political responsibilities, and justice must determine criminal responsibilities.”
Fellowes added that there is “abundant” evidence of the impeachment request and they have the necessary votes, adding that the facts point to corruption in state companies such as Petrocador.
Laso’s supporters described the opposition’s efforts as desperate attempts to link the conservative president, who has an antagonistic relationship with the National Assembly, to the “novel”.
(Edited by Carlos Serrano)
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