Ecuadorian police raided the Mexican Embassy where Jorge Glas, a former vice president convicted of corruption, had taken refuge. Mexico announced that it would complain to the International Court of Justice and suspended diplomatic relations with Ecuador.
A political crisis has erupted between the South American country of Ecuador and Mexico. Former Ecuadorian Vice President Jorge Glas, who has been living in the Mexican Embassy in Ecuador’s capital Kito since December, was detained in a police raid on the embassy.
According to a statement by Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Barcena, some Mexican diplomats were injured during the raid. The country plans to appeal to the International Court of Justice to condemn this action by Ecuadorian authorities. Mexican President Manuel Lopez Obrador, who announced that he had ordered the suspension of diplomatic relations with Ecuador, said what happened was a violation of international law and Mexico’s sovereignty.
On the other hand, the Ecuadorian government confirmed the detention of former Vice President Glas and described the raid on the embassy as a “defense of national sovereignty”.
Former Ecuadorian Vice President Jorge Glas was released at the end of 2022 after serving 5 years in prison for taking bribes and participating in a criminal organization, and in December 2023 he was found guilty again in a corruption case related to the Brazilian Odebrecht construction company and sentenced to 6 years in prison.
Glas applied to the Mexican Embassy for protection. Ecuadorian authorities had called on Mexico to allow police to enter the embassy building and detain Glas, but their request was rejected.
Last Friday, the Mexican government granted political asylum to Glas, who has been living in the embassy in Kito since December. Ecuador’s Foreign Ministry declared the decision illegal and demanded that the politician be brought to justice.
