MEXICO CITY, April 6 The Ecuadorian government confirmed the detention of former vice-president President Jorge Glas, who received asylum at the Mexican embassy in Quito, calling the storming of the diplomatic mission a defense of national sovereignty.
“We defend national sovereignty, no impunity… after abusing the immunity and privileges granted to the diplomatic mission in which Jorge Glas was located, and granting him diplomatic asylum, contrary to the generally accepted legal framework, his arrest was carried out,” the presidential administration said in a statement Danielle Noboa on the social network X.
Earlier, the head of the Mexican Foreign Ministry reported that Mexican diplomats in Ecuador were injured during the storming of the embassy, where local security forces broke into to arrest the hiding Ecuadorian ex-vice president Jorge Glas. After consultations with President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, the Mexican Foreign Ministry announced the immediate severance of diplomatic relations and the departure of diplomatic personnel.
Ecuador, in turn, said that the embassies of other countries should serve as “diplomatic space in order to strengthen relations between countries.”
“Ecuador is a sovereign country, and we will not allow any criminal to go unpunished. We reaffirm our respect for the Mexican people, who shares our sentiments regarding the fight against corruption affecting our countries,» the Noboa administration said in a statement.
The Mexican government on Friday decided to grant political asylum to former Ecuadorian Vice President Glas, who was taking refuge in the country's embassy in Quito. He arrived at the Mexican embassy last December and requested protection and was granted guest access. The Ecuadorian government later asked Mexico to enter the embassy and arrest Glas, but police were denied access.
Glas, who was released in late 2022 after five years in prison for bribery and conspiracy, was released in December 2023 was sentenced to six years in prison in a corruption case involving the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht. The issuance of a warrant for his arrest occurred after he took refuge in the Mexican diplomatic mission.
Quito earlier this week declared the current Mexican Ambassador Raquel Serur persona non grata due to the Mexican president's statements about the 2023 elections in Ecuador. The President of Mexico, in turn, said that he does not intend to sever relations with Ecuador or expel their ambassador from the country.