In a significant development in the ongoing efforts to combat organized crime and corruption within the Ecuadorian judicial system, the State Attorney General’s Office announced on Sunday that a national judge has acceded to prosecutor Diana Salazar’s request for preventative measures against several defendants. According to the Attorney General’s office, 14 defendants will face preventative detention, while alternative measures such as house arrest with electronic monitoring have been imposed on two elderly individuals, and a pregnant defendant has been subjected to other preventative actions.
The case, known as the “Plaga Case,” targets an alleged organized crime network that purportedly manipulated the Ecuadorian judicial system to secure the release of prisoners through bribes. According to El Comercio, the defendants were arrested in a comprehensive joint operation across eight provinces. The apprehensions are part of broader investigative efforts, with aims to dismantle the network accused of manipulating legal procedures to facilitate unlawful prisoner releases.
The accused include a diverse set of individuals, ranging from judges and secretaries to prison officials and attorneys. The organization is reportedly led by Cristian Giovanny R. M., who allegedly orchestrated and coordinated various maneuvers, such as transferring prisoners between rehabilitation centers and interfering in judicial proceedings. According to the Attorney General’s office, these actions involved bribing numerous administrative and judicial personnel, including high-ranking officials.
The “Plaga Case” is not an isolated incident. Earlier this year, a similar operation led to the arrest of 14 individuals, with preventative detention enforced for 13 of them. Notably, between January 2022 and March 2023, 241 prisoners were released by falsely claiming risk conditions or illnesses, exploiting the legal safeguard of “habeas corpus.”
For additional details on this unfolding case, see the full report on JURIST.