The impeachment trial against Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso has been officially notified. Fernando Villavicencio, president of the Political Control and Oversight Commission of the National Assembly of Ecuador, informed Lasso of the accusations of embezzlement (misappropriation of public funds) in public companies against him.
Lasso has appointed lawyer Edgar Neira Orellana to defend him in the impeachment trial. The country’s Constitutional Court has admitted the possibility of the trial, which requires 92 votes of Ecuadorian legislators, that is, two-thirds of the 137 members of the National Assembly.
The vice president of the Oversight Commission, Ana Belén Cordero, explained that the 10-day period for the presentation of evidence for the prosecution and defense began on Friday. In addition, Cordero asserted that the proponents of the trial had a 72-hour term to present evidence or facts, which was fulfilled late Thursday afternoon without any singularization of evidence or facts having been presented.
Meanwhile, Lasso has declared himself “innocent” of the accusations against him and has said that the impeachment trial “smells very bad” for him. The president has stated that he is willing to collaborate with justice and prove his innocence.
The impeachment trial against Lasso takes place in a context of political and social tensions in Ecuador. The country is in a delicate economic situation due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the fall in oil prices, which have generated an increase in poverty and unemployment. In addition, the Lasso government has been criticized for its handling of the pandemic and for the austerity policies it has implemented.