Next Monday the appearances requested by the questioner Darwin Pereira, of the Pachakutik movement, will continue.
The Oversight Commission, this January 21, opened the substantiation stage of the political trial against the Superintendent of Banks, Ruth Arregui, which includes eight accusations of breach of duties raised by legislator Darwin Pereira, of the Pachakutik bench.
The eight accusations against the official in charge of the control of the financial system are related to breach of functions in the control over the illegal collection of money, lack of control in unauthorized financial activities, renegotiation of debts, claims and complaints of computer fraud , payments for cooperation agreements, lack of control of financial system activities and absence of customer advocates in financial institutions.
On the first day of appearances, the Oversight table received Solanda Goyes, who presented herself as coordinator of a group of people affected by Banco Pichincha that brings together more than 200 people. He described his personal case, which, according to what he said, will allow the Commission to know the dimension of what is happening with insecurity in banking and the lack of control by the Superintendence.
He reported that in June 2015 he arranged a mortgage loan with Banco Pichincha and $31,911 was deposited in his checking account, but that on June 26 two savings accounts were opened at Banco Pichincha by a woman who impersonated the identity of a citizen M. Ch., from the city of Cuenca, who later cashed three checks from Solanda Goyes, which, according to what she said, were never drawn and that added up to $14,530. The robbery, he added, was carried out in three agencies in Quito in a time of 52 minutes.
Nine days after the event, the accounts were closed and Goyes filed the complaint with the State Attorney General’s Office. In January 2016, the financial institution destroyed the checks, therefore, the evidence, when, he said, the law mandates financial institutions to keep the papers for up to ten years.
The bank, added the affected person, made the query to the Superintendence about the retention time of the documents, and the answer was that the documents can be destroyed after six months, provided they are not within a judicial process, and the case de Solanda Goyes already had a complaint filed with the Prosecutor’s Office.
In 2019, with all the information, the prosecutor of Rapid Solutions No. 3, faced with the lack of delivery of information by the financial institution, requests the filing of the case; however, based on the reasons it states, it determines that there is a crime of identity theft and use of a false document.
The prosecutor sent the file to the Superintendence of Banks so that it could establish the responsibilities and sanctions with respect to the bank.
The Superintendency first decided to file the request of the Prosecutor’s Office, when it has the obligation to investigate, exercise surveillance, audit and intervention and control activities of economic activities, said Goyes, who before the Commission maintained that in 2021 the bank admitted the error and promised to deposit the $14,530.
Cristian León pointed out that the Superintendent of Banks, Ruth Arregui, failed to fulfill functions in the process of appointing customer advocates at the national level. Through a resolution dated August 19, 2020, it issued the control rule for client advocates that regulates the appointment process; however, he affirmed that the current defenders are extended their functions for two years, failing to observe the principles of alternation proper to the performance of public office.
Graciela Bustamante presented her case, related to a Banco Pichincha policy, where the Superintendency, in her opinion, did not act or resolve her case related to unauthorized debits that exceed $14,000. That the client’s ombudsman didn’t help her either.
José Paredes Coque, a veterinarian, appeared before the Audit Commission as having been harmed by Banco Pichincha. He assured that in May 2021, $10,000 was stolen from his account via electronic transfer, when he had $1,500 as the maximum authorized amount to make daily transactions. In the case, he filed a complaint for theft. From the bank they told him that he gave the key; while the Superintendence argued that Banco Pichincha has no responsibility in his case.
Next Monday the appearances will continue. (I)
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