Ecuador judge sends former vice-president Jorge Glas to trial
QUITO (Reuters) -A judge in Ecuador on Monday ruled former vice president Jorge Glas will face trial for alleged misuse of public funds allocated to rebuild areas affected by a devastating 2016 earthquake.
Glas is currently in prison serving out convictions in two prior corruption cases.
The attorney general's office had asked that Glas and eight other ex-officials, some of whom are outside the country, face charges in the case.
Prosecutors accuse Glas, who led the reconstruction effort for Manabi and Esmeraldas provinces after the earthquake, of misdirecting funds for non-priority works.
Judge Marco Aguirre said during a public hearing that there were indications that Glas committed embezzlement by using funds intended for reconstruction for other projects that were not related to the reconstruction in Manabi.
The funds were raised through taxes, including an increase in VAT.
The prosecution also claims the funds were misused for the benefit of contractors and supervisors involved in the reconstruction.
Glas, who served as vice president under Rafael Correa from 2013 to 2017, was captured by Ecuadorean authorities following a raid on the Mexican embassy in Quito last year, which led to the severing of diplomatic ties between Ecuador and Mexico.
Glas' lawyer Sonia Vera said in a post on X that the ruling was a sign of "the use of criminal proceedings as a tool of political persecution, in open violation of due process."
She added that there was no evidence of misappropriation of public funds for personal benefit or that of third parties nor harm to the national treasury, both essential requirements to establish the crime of embezzlement.
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Hamilton Spectator
10 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
AP PHOTOS: Mexican flags at LA protests spark debate over symbolism
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Politico
13 minutes ago
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Anyone looking at images of the Los Angeles immigration protests has almost certainly seen the Mexican flag flying somewhere in the frame. Demonstrators have hoisted the red, white and green banner atop cars and while marching down streets and freeways. It's spilled into the corners of CNN live shots and been splashed across social media. To some, the flag — its bright colors standing out against dark smoke from burning cars and tear gas — is a powerful sign of resistance to President Donald Trump's mass-deportation agenda. To others, it is ammunition for conservatives aiming to paint the unrest as a 'migrant invasion.' Case in point: a National Review headline calling the Mexican flag the 'Confederate banner of the L.A. riots.' Protesters' prominent use of the flag evokes photos from more than 30 years ago, when thousands of demonstrators raised the same banner while fighting a ballot measure that sought to bar undocumented Californians from accessing public schools and other services. That 1994 initiative, Proposition 187, was a turning point for Latino political power in the state. It served as an awakening for some California protesters who later became prominent leaders, including former Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León. Angelica Salas, a prominent activist in the state and executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, noted protesters also hoisted the flag in 2006, during massive demonstrations against George W. Bush-era legislation to crack down on illegal immigration. 'When you attack the undocumented community, when you attack the immigrant community, there is a sense that — I mean, it's a reality — the majority of the folks are Mexican,' she said. Salas spoke with California Playbook about why the Mexican flag continues to be an important symbol for demonstrators. On what the Mexican flag means to protesters … It's really about saying we're American, Mexican American, and we're not ashamed of being Mexican …There's a very popular refrain amongst our community that you can't just like our food and our culture — we also demand that you like the people. Because it's sort of a very, very strong sentiment that there's a like for what we produce and [for] our culture and our foods and everything else, but not of the people. So there's a sense of the deep level of discrimination against the Mexican people. So when people carry the flag, it's really a symbol of pride and a symbol of 'We're not going to be ashamed to claim our heritage, our Mexican heritage. We're not going to be bullied to hide an aspect of who we are.' On young protesters' attachment to the flag … When you see a lot of young people with their flags, it's also claiming and [showing] support for their parents. So many of the young people who are marching are U.S. citizens, they're second-, third-generation, maybe they are the first who were born in this country. Very much U.S. citizens by birth, but they want their parents to also know that they're standing with them. I feel like every time I ask a young person — whether they're carrying a Mexican flag, a Salvadoran flag, a Guatemalan flag, or any other flag — it's just about, 'I want people to understand I'm proud of who I am. I'm not ashamed to be Mexican, and I'm certainly not ashamed of my parents. And I want them to know that I will not reject them.' Because there's a lot of pressure to reject the Mexican heritage. On California's connection to Mexico … Thirty percent of the population is people of Mexican descent — 12 million individuals who live here. We are proudly a multigenerational community. That means that we have recent arrivals as well as people who are immigrants who've been here for many years. And then [the] majority of the people actually are second-, third-, fourth-generation Mexican American. There's a lot of pride in our deep roots in the region.
Politico
17 minutes ago
- Politico
Why they fly the Mexican flag
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Salas spoke with Playbook about why the Mexican flag continues to be an important symbol for demonstrators. On what the Mexican flag means to protesters … It's really about saying we're American, Mexican American, and we're not ashamed of being Mexican …There's a very popular refrain amongst our community that you can't just like our food and our culture — we also demand that you like the people. Because it's sort of a very, very strong sentiment that there's a like for what we produce and [for] our culture and our foods and everything else, but not of the people. So there's a sense of the deep level of discrimination against the Mexican people. So when people carry the flag, it's really a symbol of pride and a symbol of 'We're not going to be ashamed to claim our heritage, our Mexican heritage. We're not going to be bullied to hide an aspect of who we are.' On young protesters' attachment to the flag … When you see a lot of young people with their flags, it's also claiming and [showing] support for their parents. So many of the young people who are marching are U.S. citizens, they're second-, third-generation, maybe they are the first who were born in this country. Very much U.S. citizens by birth, but they want their parents to also know that they're standing with them. I feel like every time I ask a young person — whether they're carrying a Mexican flag, a Salvadoran flag, a Guatemalan flag, or any other flag — it's just about, 'I want people to understand I'm proud of who I am. I'm not ashamed to be Mexican, and I'm certainly not ashamed of my parents. And I want them to know that I will not reject them.' Because there's a lot of pressure to reject the Mexican heritage. On California's connection to Mexico … Thirty percent of the population is people of Mexican descent — 12 million individuals who live here. We are proudly a multigenerational community. That means that we have recent arrivals as well as people who are immigrants who've been here for many years. And then [the] majority of the people actually are second-, third-, fourth-generation Mexican American. There's a lot of pride in our deep roots in the region. IT'S WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. This is California Playbook PM, a POLITICO newsletter that serves as an afternoon temperature check on California politics and a look at what our policy reporters are watching. Got tips or suggestions? Shoot an email to lholden@ WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY 'NO MAN'S LAND': After being plunged into a week of uncertainty, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass today gathered a coalition of representatives from surrounding cities to show solidarity for her message: stop the raids. Mayors and city council members from cities in Los Angeles County and its surrounding areas recounted raids that have taken place as recently as this morning. Bass has been calling on the federal immigration officers and the National Guard to leave the city for days, but President Donald Trump has shown no sign of backing down. Meantime, Bass says she will continue to advocate on the federal level. 'The only alternative is to stay silent,' she said. 'We are stuck in this no man's land of not having any idea when the policy will end.' — Nicole Norman IN OTHER NEWS DRAWING A BLANK: Department of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth couldn't cite the law allowing the Trump administration to deploy troops to Los Angeles during a Senate budget hearing today, our Joe Gould and Connor O'Brien report. The Pentagon chief clashed with several lawmakers at a Senate budget hearing as he sought to defend Trump's decision to send thousands of troops, including 700 active-duty Marines, to California in response to mass deportation protests. But when asked to explain the legal underpinning that justifies the Marine deployment, the Defense secretary blanked. 'I'd have to pull up the specific provision,' he told Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.). 'But our Office of General Counsel, alongside our leadership, has reviewed and ensured, in the order that we set out, that it's completely constitutional for the president to use federal troops to defend federal law enforcement.' When Baldwin pushed again, Hegseth said, 'It's in the order, ma'am, but we'll make sure we get it to you as well.' Hegseth, a former Fox News anchor who appears calm in front of the camera, faced a tougher time at Wednesday's Senate defense appropriations subcommittee than he did at a House budget hearing the day before. The Defense secretary argued the deployments to Los Angeles and along the southern border, where the military has 13,000 National Guard and active-duty troops, are necessary to protect the country. LOCATION SHARING OFF: Trump's aggressive response to the Los Angeles protests is fueling a Sacramento push to insulate state residents' personal data from Washington, our Tyler Katzenberger reports. Tech-skeptical lawmakers and activists fear the Trump administration will leverage tech tools to track and punish demonstrators accused of interfering with Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids. One possible instrument at ICE's disposal: location data, a highly detailed record of people's daily movements that's collected and sold by everything from weather apps to data brokers. Democrats introduced at least a half-dozen measures this year aimed at bolstering the state's already-tough data protections, but several died as leaders deal with budget woes. Those efforts are taking on new meaning as the protests and ICE raids gain national attention. Assemblymember Chris Ward, a San Diego Democrat, told POLITICO he may reintroduce a bill next year that failed this spring, which aimed to close a loophole on location data. California's existing privacy laws limit local law enforcement from sharing license plate data with ICE and other federal agencies, but standards for online location data are weaker. UNMERGED: Two major Bay Area business groups quietly announced this week that they are abandoning a planned merger announced last year. In a joint statement, the Bay Area Council and the Silicon Valley Leadership Group said they 'have jointly decided to conclude formal discussions about creating a unified organization.' The groups said they will continue to work together going forward. The council counts major companies like Apple and Airbnb among its many members, while SVLG's membership includes Amazon, Uber and many others. Read more in tomorrow's California Decoded. WHAT WE'RE READING TODAY — A UC Berkeley professor who wrote an influential 2020 paper on the impact of non-violent protests weighs in on the anti-ICE demonstrations in Los Angeles. (POLITICO) — Los Angeles police are investigating a Boyle Heights hit-and-run that witnesses say involved federal authorities driving unmarked vehicles. (ABC 7) — Tax experts say that because California residents and businesses pay the state and federal government directly, it is unclear how the state could withhold the taxes it pays to the federal government. (CalMatters) AROUND THE STATE — Los Angeles City Council members disagreed with Police Chief Jim McDonnell over the handling of protests downtown. (Los Angeles Times) — The San Diego City Council passed a budget that will not authorize the Mayor's proposed cuts to libraries and and recreation centers. (San Diego Union Tribune) — Initial results show that Huntington Beach voters may reverse a law that would create a children's book review board. (Orange County Register) — compiled by Nicole Norman
