“Just in case” is a vulgar expression that means “just in case”. Maybe we have all thought about it and used it, but let’s make sure that its use does not lead to distortions, rather to tricks or “sanctuaries”.

Legal is actually misused. In constitutional appeals, submission of two equal ones, before different judges, “just in case” one is rejected, in exceptions, in evidence, there are those who act abusively, which could even be described as malicious or thoughtless, by chance judges, prosecutors and /or the experts fall into deception, or also join in the illegal action. Acting attorneys may, in addition to criminal prosecution, be prohibited from practicing law professionally.

The case of Metastasis: ‘satisfaction’ and ‘advice’ of two agents of the prosecution who belong to the unit for breaking the structures of organized crime

Among the accusations against Attorney General Diana Salazar is that she wants to put lawyers in prison, violating the universal principle that every defendant has the right to a defense and that no lawyer should be punished for taking up the defense. What should not be confused is patronage or defense with the execution of illegal acts as part of the defense. And in the case of “organized crime”, which is Metastasis, in terms of the criminal liability of collaborators, the last paragraph of Article 369 of the General Criminal Code, post-reform from March 2023, says that “an collaborator shall be understood as “anyone who offers, lends or enables legal , accounting, technical, scientific or other knowledge, whether temporary or permanent, paid or unpaid, for the purpose of serving or contributing to the illegal objectives of the organization.” The prison sentence is from 5 to 10 years, depending on the crime for which he cooperated.

Transparency should never be conditioned by imposition, nor should it be limited only to formats…

On the other hand, the “oath” is devalued when it is part of a form or mandatory text.

This risk includes property declarations for the beginning and end of public office and tax property declarations of taxpayers. A term that includes all property held directly or indirectly by the declarant has a void of what “indirectly” might mean; it should be more precise and include assets that the declarant uses or disposes of even when they are not his own, with an indication of the links that enable the use or disposal of those. Otherwise, the “perjurers” will multiply.

A very serious problem is the prices for public procurement and for service providers of public persons. In principle, they should be regular ones, even with discounts, but the practice of common delays in the public sector, for months and even years, leads to the risk of bankruptcy for those who cannot be paid. There should be a margin and a grace period for payment and then, after that time, the payment should be with interest. Simply requiring you to adhere to a tariff – almost never updated – even under oath can be abusive.

Ecuador’s judicial function closes 2023 in question and in urgent need of purification

Transparency should never be conditioned by impositions, nor only limited to formats, with or without an oath, it should be an act of conscience and will.

Let 2024 be a year of achievement, in terms of quality of life and transparency. May God’s blessing be present in Ecuador and in our homes. (OR)