Quito, Oct 2 (EFE).- Vice President Jorge Glas said Monday that he would accept “under protest” a ruling by Ecuador’s top court that he be placed in preventive detention pending a possible indictment on corruption charges.
“Without evidence and with forged documents. The only thing left to them is lynching. I will appeal to national and international authorities to defend myself,” he said on Twitter after learning of the decision.
The court order also applies to Glas’ uncle Ricardo Rivera, who has been under house arrest in connection with the investigation of bribes paid by Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht to obtain public works contracts.
Glas has no plans to resign the vice presidency, according to his attorney, Franco Loor.
The court ruled within hours of receiving a request from Attorney General Carlos Baca.
During the interval between the request and the decision, Glas ridiculed the idea that he was a flight risk and he challenged prosecutors to reveal the evidence against him.
“Don’t worry, you don’t have to look for me, I’m where I always am. I’m not going to run. Innocents people never flee,” Glas wrote on Twitter. “I publically ask that the AG Office show the country the evidence it has against me.”
The vice president cited opinions from lawyers and judges – including his political adversaries – that the request for preventive detention in this case was a “judicial aberration.”
“What more proof do you want that this process is not judicial, but political?,” Glas demanded.
President Lenin Moreno relieved Glas of his duties in August after the vice president criticized the head of state’s policies.
Glas, who also served as vice president under President Rafael Correa, accused Moreno of seeking to undo the legacy of his predecessor’s 2007-2017 administration.