Ecuador expelled the Argentine ambassador to Quito over the scandal of the escape of the former correista official

Hours after it was revealed that Ecuador had summoned the Argentine ambassador, Gabriel Fuchsto answer questions about the escape of the former minister Maria de los Angeles Duarte of that country’s embassy in Quito, the government of Guillermo Lasso declared the Argentine diplomatic representative in the Andean country persona non grata and asked him to leave the territory.

Although Quito has clarified that he is not expelling Fuks, he is simply declaring him persona non grata, the consequence of this decision is that the Argentine diplomat must leave the country. For the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the representative in Quito has been expelled, and this counterpoint is one more in the saga that has been going on for several months.

Duarte had taken refuge in the diplomatic headquarters in Buenos Aires for more than two and a half years to avoid going to prison for a corruption conviction.

Amid the scandal, Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Juan Carlos Holguín gave a press conference in which he revealed that, on the one hand, “There is no record that he regularly left Ecuador” and no more “There are records that Duarte entered Colombia regularly.”

“We hope that this decision will not do much harm to the traditionally good relationship, based on mutual respect,” added Holguín, who also announced that they would grant him a “prudential timeto Fuks to leave Quito.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ecuador has concluded that the mutual trust and good faith that must prevail in relations between states have been violated,” said a statement. In this sense, the Foreign Minister said that the Lasso government hopes that this “moment of tension caused by an external factor” will be overcome.

On the other hand, Quito has called its ambassador to Argentina for consultations.

The government of Peronist Alberto Fernández communicated on December 1 to the Ecuadorian Ministry of Foreign Affairs its decision to grant the asylum to Duarte, who had been staying at the Argentine Embassy in Quito with his son since August 20, 2020.

However, the Lasso government opposed the granting of safe conduct to Duarte this would allow her to leave Ecuador without being detained.

Duarte was sentenced in 2020 to eight years in prison for corruption in connection with the “Bribes 2012-2016” affair, an irregular financing plot of the then-governmental Alianza País movement, led by Correa, with undue contributions from undeclared companies.

The former civil servant, who held the portfolio of Public works Between February 19, 2015 and January 6, 2017, she considers herself politically persecuted and denies the charges brought against her, like Correa, who claims refugee status in Belgiumwhich blocks an extradition request from the Ecuadorian justice.

Correa, who has lived in Belgium since 2017, has a close relationship with Argentina’s current president and vice-president, Cristina Kirchner.

(With information from EFE)

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