Ecuador’s Fight Against Corruption Hits Home as High-Level Officials Targeted
As Ecuador continues its security crackdown on gangs in the streets, a more insidious obstacle has come to light: high-level government corruption. The Attorney General’s Office has presented evidence against 13 suspects in the Metastasis Case, described by Attorney General Diana Salazar as “the largest in [Ecuador]’s history against corruption and drug trafficking.”
The Metastasis Case
The case involves a former National Assembly member and a lead prosecutor for Guayas province, whose capital is central to Ecuador’s drug trafficking economy. Prosecutors have alleged that officials from the judiciary, legislature, and security forces received bribes through Leandro Norero, a top ally of the Lobos gang, in exchange for helping him maintain his criminal empire while behind bars.
- Corrupt judges allegedly delayed money laundering cases against Norero’s siblings after receiving bribes.
- Police and prosecutors on Norero’s payroll passed him information about law enforcement crackdowns both inside and outside prison.
- The investigation has also uncovered links as high as the former president of the Judicial Council, who “planned to buy the decisions of national magistrates” to achieve a favorable decision in a money laundering case against Norero’s brother.
Impact on Investigations
The Metastasis Case has spawned other investigations, including the Caso Purga (Purge Case), which is targeting a dozen judicial officials and lawyers associated with the Guayas provincial judiciary for links to organized crime and drug trafficking. The counter-corruption offensive comes as President Daniel Noboa’s war on gangs enters its third month.
Concerns about Criminality
Noboa’s militarized response has resulted in a countrywide reduction in homicides, but concerns persist about criminality, particularly in Guayaquil, where reports of extortion and kidnappings have dramatically increased this year. Experts say that corruption has always existed in Ecuador, but recent cases signal an alarming escalation in its prominence.
- “Before, there were officials linked to the drug issue,” said security consultant Melania Carrión, a former government official specializing in prisons. “But there was still respect for state institutions.”
- In recent years, elements of the navy, police, and prisons authority have been accused of helping gangs move drugs, access arms, and maintain their criminal enterprises from behind bars.
Addressing Corruption
As part of an attempt to address corruption, Noboa announced the creation of a joint financial crime investigation unit and proposed a constitutional amendment that seeks to close a prominent legal loophole. However, even with these measures, government corruption remains a formidable obstacle to reversing the advances of criminal groups.
- Record quantities of cocaine are flowing through Ecuador, and InSight Crime estimates that just the Colombian cocaine entering the country may be worth nearly one billion dollars to criminal groups helping to store and transport it through the country.
- Lucrative extortion, kidnapping, and drug dealing markets further bolster gang coffers, providing criminal groups with the means to bribe officials and sometimes even bring them into their fold.