News Americas, New York, NY, 9 October 2024: The US State Department has designated two former Ecuadorian officials, Rafael Vicente Correa Delgado, former president of Ecuador, and Jorge David Glas Espinel, former vice president, as ineligible for entry into the United States due to their involvement in corruption important during them. time on duty.
Correa and Glas abused their positions by accepting bribes, including political contributions, in exchange for being awarded favorable government contracts, the Department said today. This action by the US government underscores its support for Ecuadorian citizens, including members of civil society, law enforcement and investigative journalists, who are committed to promoting government transparency and holding corrupt officials accountable.
The designations fall under section 7031(c) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Act of 2024, which allows for public designations of individuals involved in significant corruption. The US emphasized that anti-corruption measures, particularly within government procurement contracts, are vital to ensure that the government serves its citizens fairly.
In addition, the US has extended ineligibility for entry to Correa’s family, including his wife, Anne Malherbe Gosselin, and his grown children Sofia, Anne Dominique and Rafael Miguel Correa. Glas’ husband, Cinthia Diaz Aveiga, and his grown son, Jorge Glas Diaz, have also been determined ineligible to enter the United States.
This move reaffirms the US government’s commitment to fighting corruption around the world, including corruption at the highest levels of government.
Correa served as President of Ecuador from 2007 to 2017. The leader of the Aleanca PAIS political movement from its founding until 2017, Correa is a democratic socialist and his administration focused on implementing left-wing policies. Internationally, he served as president pro tempore of UNASUR. Since 2017, he lives in exile in Belgium.
Glas served as Vice President of Ecuador from May 2013 to December 2017. Then Ecuadorian President Lenín Moreno suspended Glas from his official duties as Vice President on August 3, 2017. In December 2017, Glas was sentenced to six years in prison by a Criminal Court of the National Court of Justice, for receiving over 13.5 million dollars in bribes in the Odebrecht scandal. In April 2024 during a raid on the Mexican embassy by Ecuadorian police, Glas was arrested and held in prison resulting in the severance of Mexico’s relations with Ecuador. On April 9, 2024, prison authorities said that Glas had been admitted to Guayaquil’s naval hospital after not eating for 24 hours, adding that his condition was stable.
