Ecuador’s Vice President, Jorge Glas, has been jailed after the Supreme Court ordered his arrest while he is investigated for allegedly taking bribes from a Brazilian construction giant involved in a sprawling regional graft scandal.
Police took Glas into custody at his residence in the city of Guayaquil and later transported him on an air force plane to the capital, Quito, where he is being held.
Several supporters and former aides rushed to Guayaquil’s air force base to express solidarity with Glas, who they say was stabbed behind the back by his one-time ally, President Lenin Moreno.
Minutes before turning himself in, Glas posted online a video in which he said he would abide under protest the arrest order, even while arguing that the case against him was based on lies, false testimony and procedural errors.
“Those who are innocent have no reason to flee,” said Glas in the video, in which he also urged supporters to continue fighting to defend the legacy of former President Rafael Correa, who both he and Moreno loyally served.
“Don’t give up, fight for your revolution.”
Judge Miguel Jurado of Ecuador’s top court accepted a request from prosecutors that Glas be detained to guard against any attempt to escape.
Until Monday’s ruling, Glas was free, but barred from leaving the country.
Glas is highest-ranking official in Ecuador to be investigated and is suspected of leading a network of politicians and Correa officials who received $33 million that the construction company Odebrecht has acknowledged paying in exchange for contracts when he served as vice president from 2013 to 2017.
. Fox News.
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