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Oversight Commission files five requests for impeachment against former Finance Minister Richard Martínez

The legislators pledged to investigate the management of the foreign debt of the last 15 years

The Control Commission of the National Assembly filed five requests for impeachment against the former Minister of Economy and Finance, Richard Martínez, for failure to perform functions in the allocation of resources to decentralized autonomous governments, universities, retired teachers and alleged irregularities in the payment of the external debt.

The members of the commission learned, on October 21, the notification made by the president of the Assembly, Guadalupe Llori, on October 4, regarding the preliminary qualification of five requests for interpellation presented in the previous legislative period, but which were maintained. on the desk.

Guadalupe Llori forwards the impeachment file to Richard Martínez before the deadline for his interpellation concludes

The filing of the process came after the expiration of the one-year term that the National Assembly had to prosecute the former economy official, since he resigned on October 7, 2020. Now he remains as vice president of the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington DC.

With the filing of the lawsuit to preclude the deadlines, the members of the Supervisory Commission undertook to initiate an investigation of the management of the foreign debt of the last 15 years, of the bondholders benefiting from Chinese debt, especially in the period corresponding to Richard Martínez Alvarado.

The five requests for impeachment were presented by legislators Yofre Poma and Juan Lloret (RC), Vicente Taiano Basante (PSC), Jimmy Candell (BIN) and Raúl Tello (IND), from this group of proponents, only, Lloret is currently as assemblyman. All pointed as the main accusation an alleged mismanagement in the payment of the foreign debt during the COVID-19 pandemic, the non-allocation of timely resources for the payment of retirement incentives to teachers, the failure to allocate resources to decentralized autonomous governments and universities. .

Prior to the approval of the archive resolution, the legislator Juan Lloret, presented a legal basis for the trial to continue, taking into account that the request he presented on April 17, 2020 was qualified by the Legislative Administration Council (CAL), on September 21, 2020, when Martínez was still in office.

The legislator Pedro Velasco (BAN), raised a first motion to order the filing of the impeachment against Martínez, as he said that legally the term established in article 131 of the Constitution to be able to prosecute a former official up to one year after exercising the position expired 14 days ago. But he did not get the endorsement.

The president of the Oversight and Political Control commission, Fernando Villavicencio, through the secretariat revealed that there were five requests to the president of the legislature, Guadalupe Llori, to forward the file of the trial against Martínez, but assured that Llori protected the ex-minister of Economy, but that the commission will not charge with this dead man.

“The one who filed this case is the presidency of the legislature,” Villavicencio sentenced, as he affirmed that in a record and surprising way the presidency of the Assembly sent the case file against the former Minister of Energy, René Ortiz, before the requests against Martinez.

Gabriela Molina and Roberto Cuero (UNES), insisted that the beginning of the impeachment trial should take place, even the legislator Molina assured that from the first day of the installation of the Inspection Commission, she asked the president of the legislature, Guadalupe Llori, to forward the file to the commission to start the process. They appealed for the prosecution to be insisted, but it did not have support either.

Ana Belén Cordero (BAN), stated that initiating a political trial must be in accordance with the law, since the processes come to the commission from the CAL and that the call for impeachment occurs when the Oversight Commission knows and decides to initiate the political trial and That should have happened before October 7, when the year was up for the Assembly to be able to prosecute him. This process is prescribed, he sentenced.

Bruno Segovia (former Pachakutik), also affirmed that the request for impeachment against former minister Richard Martínez is prescribed; and proposed that the process be brought to the attention of the plenary to resolve and also asked to determine those responsible for this “obstruction” of this political trial and the conduct of the President of the Assembly be observed, but he also lacked support.

After a recess, the Oversight Commission heard a motion raised by legislator Ana Belén Cordero, where the table resolved to raise awareness and file resolutions CAL-2019-2021-297, CAL-2019-2021-339, CAL-2019-2021 -340, CAL-2019-2021-341 and CAL-2019-2021-342, sent to the Political Oversight and Control Commission through memoranda Nro. AN-SG-2021-3264-M, AN-SG-2021-3255- M, AN-SG-2021-3256-M, AN-SG-2021-3257-M, AN-SG-2021-3258-M of October 04, 2021, the same ones that contain the requests for impeachment against Richard Martínez Alvarado, given that they do not comply with the constitutional mandate established in article 131 of the Constitution of the Republic, since he ceased in his functions as minister of economy and finance on October 7, 2021, as follows from the Executive Decree No. 1168, signed by the former President, Lenin Moreno Garcés.

Initiate an investigation of the management of the external debt of the last 15 years, of the holders of bonds benefited from Chinese debt, especially in the period corresponding to Richard Martínez.

The motion was supported by six legislators: Ana Belén Cordero (BAN), Marco Troya (BAN), Bruno Segovia (former PK), Pedro Velasco (BAN), Soledad Diab (PSC) and Fernando Villavicencio (Concertación-PSE). Against, spoke: Roberto Cuero, Gabriela Molina, Comps Córdova (UNES). (I)

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