“We are in terrible solitude,” described the president of the Oversight Commission, Fernando Villavicencio, referring to the environment in which the performance of evidence is processed within the request for impeachment of former Interior Minister Patricio Carrillo.
There are five interpellants of the former official accused of breach of duties when repressing the mobilizations of June 2022 and for his actions in the case of the femicide of María Belén Bernal, which occurred in September of last year at the National Police High School.
Legislators Jhajaira Urresta and Gisella Molina (UNES), Peter Calo (Pachakutik), Johanna Moreira and Lucía Placencia (ID), are the proponents of the trial; Of them, in Thursday’s session only Assemblywoman Placencia, representative of Loja, connected virtually to the session. The accused former official was not connected either.
Five days of appearances before the Oversight Commission to substantiate the political trial of former minister Patricio Carrillo
The former governor of Imbabura, Manuel Fuentes, attended the session on Thursday, who spoke about the events that occurred in that jurisdiction during the mobilizations due to shortages.
Nelson Proaño, head of the Joint Command of the Armed Forces, also appeared regarding the blockade of highways in various parts of the country. Likewise, Juan Zapata, Minister of the Interior, and the General Commander of the Police, Fausto Salinas, attended about the actions related to the control of public order in the events of June where they indicated that their actions were attached to the Constitution, international rights instruments rights, national laws, protection and guarantee of human rights and respect for due process.
Finally, Walesca Chiriboga appeared, who said that the expressions of former minister Patricio Carrillo were serious, by minimizing the femicide of María Belén Bernal, describing it as a crime of passion, as well as recognizing that it is an irrational, but human crime. The appearances concluded, there were no questions.
Final report
For the president of the Commission, Fernando Villavicencio, the development of the trial substantiation process is the opposite face of the discourse of the interpellants, two of them correístas, who raised an urgency to bring the Minister of the Interior, Patricio Carrillo, due to two issues: the event of social and political upheaval of the June 2022 uprising that stirred up the streets and that reached the Assembly with an attempt to remove the president , Guillermo Lasso; and the other issue related to the femicide of María Belén Bernal.
But all this radical discourse, he added, contradicts what is experienced in the trial, since it is a process that takes place in absolute silence. Remember that he has presided over fourteen trials and this one against Carrillo, it almost makes no sense or reason due to the absence of the legislators who requested the interpellation, and so far the only ones who have intervened are Gisella Garzón (UNES) and Lucía Placencia (ID).
On the other side, the ex-minister Carrillo, the only thing he has presented is two pages and he has not appeared to exercise his right to defense with the witnesses that he himself asked to be invited as former governors, former officials and current ministers.
If the reason of the interpellants for not attending the sessions, where the trial is substantiated, is because they are in the electoral campaign, it is unreasonable, the only thing that is demonstrated is the degree of political maturity and an enormous irresponsibility of the legislators.
And for this Friday, February 3, new testimonies are expected, but until 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, no one confirmed their presence, although it is also expected that the five interpellants present their evidence against the former minister Patricio Carrillo, who anticipated the Commission of Control that will not come to exercise their right to defense.
After that, the Commission will have five days to present the report for the plenary session and according to the president of the table, it will be a very small report, because “there is not much to say, since it took the former governor of Imbabura two hours to go to the appearance from Ibarra, and two minutes for his intervention and nobody asked him a single question ”. (YO)
Source: Eluniverso
Mario Twitchell is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his insightful and thought-provoking writing on a wide range of topics including general and opinion. He currently works as a writer at 247 news agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
