Constitutional Court hears challenges to anti-crime laws; Poll shows support for Noboa but not his attack on the high court; CREA members wait for refunds
Ecuador’s Constitutional Court begins hearings August 25 on dozens of lawsuits filed against three anti-crime laws proposed by President Daniel Noboa and passed by the National Assembly. More than 60 legal challenges have been filed against the
Law of Public Integrity, the Law of Intelligence and the Law of Solidarity.
The majority of the lawsuits challenge the Law of Intelligence which grants the government authorization to collect information on private citizens without a court order. Almost all challenges claim provisions of the law violate constitutional protections.
Although authorities say refunds of deposits at the CREA cooperative will be issued soon, some members are expressing frustration at delays in the proceedings.
The Constitutional Court ordered the suspension of 24 articles of the three laws August 4, supporting the claims of many of the lawsuits that the laws contained unconstitutional provisions.
During the hearings, plaintiffs will present their cases against the laws while representatives of the National Assembly will offer defenses. It is unclear how long the hearings will continue or how many of the lawsuits will be admitted by the court.
The court originally announced it had accepted 12 lawsuits against the three laws but said later more suits have been filed and would be considered.
Poll shows support for Noboa but not his attack on the court
A new poll by the Imasen marketing group shows that Ecuadorians give President Daniel Noboa positive reviews but reject his recent attack on the Constitutional Court for suspending provisions of three anti-crime laws.
Poll respondents approve of Noboa’s presidency by a 50% to 44.1% margin. By a 46.8% to 41% margin, however, they disagreed with Noboa’s criticism of the court and considered his protest march on the court to be a “bad idea.”
Reflecting results from a March Imasen poll, Ecuadorians listed crime, health care, and corruption as their top concerns.
CREA members wait for refunds
The Superintendent of Popular and Solidarity Economy (SEPS) said Friday there has been a “brief delay” in the issuance of refunds for CREA cooperative members but said payouts will begin “very soon.” SEPS managers say that more than 90,000 coop members will receive refunds through the National Deposit Insurance Corporation while 2,060 with larger accounts will be repaid through other coops and banks.
CREA was closed July 29 for lack of liquidity and failure to comply with improvements ordered by regulators. At the time of the closure, SEPS announced that insurance refunds would begin August 20 or 21.
SEPS reported last week that $88 million in CREA assets were transferred to various financial institutions through the Asset and Liability Exclusion and Transfer (ETAP) process. These funds will be used to repay account holders with amounts above the insured $32,000.
Although SEPS says refunds are forthcoming, some members are expressing frustration at delays and the lack of accurate information provided by officials.
For information regarding CREA refunds, SEPS advises account holder to consult its website https://www.crea.fin.ec .
