Argentina and Ecuador on the brink of a diplomatic rift over the escape of a former minister convicted of corruption whom Maduro protects in Caracas

The unexpected diplomatic crisis between Argentina and Ecuador began when Cristina Fernández de Kirchner received Rafael Correa in her Senate office. On this occasion, the former president of Ecuador – on the run from the justice system in his country for a proven case of corruption – asked the Vice President that Argentina grant political asylum to María de los Ángeles Duarte, his former Minister of Urban Development, an accomplice in his illegal acts and sentenced to eight years in prison for corruption.

The CFK summoned Pablo Tettamanti, vice-chancellor and its principal bishop to the palace of San Martín, to his office. Tettamanti understood the vice-president’s instructions – he is a career civil servant – and raised the issue with Santiago Cafiero. The Minister of Foreign Affairs informed Alberto Fernández of Cristina’s request and the President granted asylum to the former Minister Correa.

This decision by Casa Rosada put a strain on bilateral relations between the two countries: Ecuador claimed that Duarte was not entitled to asylum, and Argentina argued the exact opposite. The reason belongs to President Guillermo Lasso: there is no asylum when the allegedly persecuted is wanted by the courts in a proven case of corruption.

Alberto Fernández replies that this argument is not valid because Correa – convicted in the same case as Duarte – has been granted asylum by Belgium. This fact is true but Correa was granted asylum because his wife is Belgian, and not because an exception was made to the rule that prohibits the detention of asylum prisoners who evade justice and Interpol.

When Duarte was a refugee in the diplomatic headquarters of Argentina in Quito He had a bad personal relationship with Ambassador Gabriel Fucks. It turns out that Fucks -before getting his bill approved by the Senate- said it was a boring arrive at an embassy with such a political conflict, and Duarte and CFK found out.

Fucks was aware of the wrangling over Duarte’s eventual legal status and wanted him to leave the embassy before he arrived in Quito. At that time, Correa had yet to show his interest in bringing Duarte to CFK. The truth is, Cristina discovered the Fucks questions and froze the bill in the Senate for months.

Fucks realized he had made a big mistake and apologized to CFK. The Vice President agreed to Fucks’ release and demanded that he deal with Duarte. Fucks said yes to everyone, and after a few days his statement was approved in the Upper House.

Duarte knew about Fucks’ adventures because of his personal opinions, and he didn’t make it easy for her at the embassy. But Fucks was committed to Cristina and on top of that there were the constant diplomatic wrangles between Alberto Fernández and Lasso.

The president demanded that his Ecuadorian colleague grant Duarte safe conduct, and Lasso repeatedly refused. Without a safe-conduct, Duarte could not leave the Argentine embassy, ​​board a plane and land in Buenos Aires. Asylum was granted, but under these conditions it was useless.

Last Saturday, tired of her stay at the Argentine embassy, ​​Duarte fled. It was a perfectly organized operation: she was not detained by the security forces who were monitoring her stay at the diplomatic headquarters, she had time to leave her 11-year-old son – who was with her at the embassy – with her sister who lives in Guayaquil then boarded a plane that landed in Caracas.

Fucks discovered over the weekend that Duarte had abandoned residency and escaped justice in Ecuador. He communicated the information to Santiago Cafiero, and the chancellor informed the president. Alberto Fernández acted cautiously: he had no information on Duarte’s whereabouts and decided to wait for Lasso’s reaction.

On Monday afternoon, when it was already clear that the Lasso government did not know that Duarte had escaped, Cafiero informed Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Juan Carlos Holguín, who seemed surprised by the news from Buenos Areas. Holguín informed Lasso, and a few minutes later it was decided to summon Fuks to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ecuador.

Fuks moved on a shaky diplomatic scenario and returned to the embassy. From there, he informed Cafiero that the Lasso administration was not satisfied with the official explanations and would intensify the search for official information. Lasso is weak in Ecuador and Duarte’s flight has damaged his small political credibility.

Fucks information was accurate. Yesterday morning, Lasso spoke by telephone with Alberto Fernández. The President was in Olivos and patiently listened to his Ecuadorian colleague. They disagreed: Lasso demanded that Alberto Fernández cancel the asylum granted to Duarte, and the head of state rejected this request and argued otherwise.

The conversation ended coldly and with a courtesy greeting.

Yesterday Tuesday, around noon in Quito, Lasso discovered – through GlobeLiveMedia– that Duarte was hiding in Caracas. This situation left Fucks in an uncomfortable situation, who had sworn to the Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry that he did not know the whereabouts of the convicted and fugitive ex-minister.

in the note of GlobeLiveMedia it was revealed that Duarte called Fucks to report his current location. This communication had taken place on Monday, before Fucks was summoned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ecuador. Ergo: Minister Holguín had proven that the Argentine ambassador had lied.

The Lasso government informally protested, and the Foreign Office had no choice but to acknowledge that Duarte was in Caracas and was already receiving diplomatic support to top off her status as a political refugee. Thus, the Palacio San Martín Whitening what Fucks had hidden on Monday afternoon (Quito time):

“At 11 a.m. (local time) today, Tuesday, March 14, Ms. Maria de los Angeles Duarte heavy was present at the headquarters of the Argentine Embassy in Caracas and in the presence of Ambassador Oscar Labordeand two officials from the diplomatic headquarters.

Mrs. Duarte Pesantes indicated that she is currently in Caracas -without explaining how he did it, or if he is with his son- and inquired about the documentation that our country could provide him. Likewise, he stated that he had no intention of traveling to Argentina in the short term,” reads the statement released by the Palacio San Martín.

This statement did not serve to appease the discontent in Quito. On the contrary. When Lasso and Holguín finished reading it, they decided to declare ungrateful person to Fucks and demand that he leave Ecuador within the next 72 hours. Faced with this political movement, Argentina had no choice but to take the same decision with Xavier Alfonso Monge Yoder, Ecuador’s ambassador in Buenos Aires.

In this way, bilateral relations between the two countries were on the verge of rupture.

And diplomatic fact that adds zero to the government.

Duarte’s asylum was a request from Cristina that Correa pushed for the benefit of his accomplice in the acts of corruption proven by the Ecuadorian justice. Now Duarte is in Caracas -protected by Maduro- and in no rush to fly to Buenos Aires.

She knows that if she arrives in Argentina, she can be arrested and extradited to Quito, a possibility that does not exist in Venezuela. There, everything is under the political control of Maduro.

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