Ecuador parliament removes a vice-president after allegations of corruption

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The National Assembly (Parliament) of Ecuador dismissed this Tuesday (12) lawmaker Bella Jimenez, the second vice president of the Legislative, accused of having processed public positions in exchange for money, which she denies.

With the vote of 131 of the 132 legislators present in tonight’s plenary session, the Assembly accepted a report of an Ethics Committee of the Assembly that recommended the dismissal for violating Article 127 of the Constitution of the State, which determines the causes for losing the position of assembly member.

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This regulation prohibits Ecuadorian parliamentarians from “managing appointments to public positions” or “receiving allowances or other income from public funds other than those corresponding to their function as assembly members”.

In addition, it specifies that whoever breaches any of the prohibitions described in that section of the Constitution “will lose the quality of assemblyman, in addition to the responsibilities determined by law”.

Jimenez, who was already separated from the social democratic party Izquierda Democratia, faced the motions of censure presented by legislators Victoria Desintoro and Alejandro Jaramillo.

“I will continue defending my honor and my innocence in the face of so many violations of due process,” Jiménez said hours before the Assembly plenary session was set to debate the Ethics Committee report.

Jiménez, in her Twitter account, announced that she had requested court protection and preventive measures before her eventual dismissal as assembly member.

The legislative decision against Jiménez came when a fierce debate has arisen in the country about the President of the Republic, Guillermo Lasso, mentioned in the so-called Pandora Papers, who is being investigated in the National Assembly.