Correa files complaint against journalist for ‘uttering expressions of dishonor’

Former President Rafael Correa has filed a criminal complaint against journalist Martín Pallares for an April article posted on the 4Pelagatos website.

Martín Pallares

In the article, Pallares mocked Correa’s defense of former minister of electricity Alecksey Mosquera who was arrested for illegally receiving $1 million from Odebrecht, the giant Brazilian construction company that has admitted to paying millions in bribes to Ecuadorian officials.

Pallares calls the then-president’s argument “absurd,” comparing it to a burglary in which the intention is to prove that the stolen merchandise was indeed owned by the victim.

Correa claims in his lawsuit that Pallares “refers to me with expressions that affect my honor by accusing me of acts that conflict with law and morality, and in doing so on a widely read website, shows clear intent of causing me harm.”

Correa’s suit also seeks undisclosed financial damages, which Pallares described as the ex-president’s “fondness for going through reporters’ pockets looking for spare change.”

If convicted, Pallares could be sentenced to 15 to 30 days in jail.