Beginning this Thursday, when the Legislative Table finally officially notified the President, the deadline began counting for the ruler to present his response to the allegations of the crime of embezzlement (embezzlement).
During this period, the prosecutors can also present the evidence they claim to support the complaint, based on alleged irregularities in contracts of the public company Flota Petrolera Ecuatoriana (Flopec).
Earlier, the Chief Executive had sent a letter to the Oversight Commission to say he had been informed of the case against him, although he formally received the notice at Carondelet Palace, the seat of government, in the afternoon.
Lasso appointed attorney Edgar Neira as his representative, who can request and challenge evidence, interview witnesses, attend hearings, and exercise his defense with wide-ranging powers.
The assembly members of the commission must now establish a work plan and complete a report within a maximum of 30 days, in accordance with the deadlines set out in the Law on the Legislative Function.
Earlier, Viviana Veloz, Mireya Pazmiño and Pedro Zapata, three of the MPs who requested impeachment, complained to Commission President Fernando Villavicencio about the delays in notifying the President.
Regardless of the commission’s decision, a censure against the head of state requires 92 votes, which is two-thirds of the entire assembly, which consists of 137 parliamentarians.
Meanwhile, rumors have swirled about the government’s vote-buying plan to bail out Lasso, prompting some banks, such as the Unión por la Esperanza, to respond by assuring that all their members would support the ruler’s departure.
lam/avr