Former comptroller Carlos Pólit gets 10-year prison sentence; Rain continues in the valley; Assembly has new president; Blackouts disrupt the internet

In a trial followed closely in Ecuador, a Miami judge sentenced former Ecuador comptroller Carlos Pólit to 10 years in prison for money laundering and other criminal activities. During his six-years in office during the Rafael Correa government, Pólit is believed to have taken as much as $30 million in bribes from government contractors, including Brazilian construction conglomerate Odebrecht.

Germán Rodas, head of Ecuador’s Anti-Corruption Commission, called Pólit’s illegal activities the biggest public crime in Ecuador history. “I wish his sentence had been longer, but I feel justice has been served and I am relieved to see the man behind bars.”

Former Ecuador comptroller Carlos Pólit

In addition to receiving more than $10 million from Odebrecht, evidence showed Pólit masterminded multiple schemes during his time as comptroller to enrich himself, his family and friends, Miami Judge Kathleen Williams determined. “The actions of the accused not only defrauded Ecuador of millions of dollars, it contributed to the erosion of confidence in government institutions of that country,” she said.

According to prosecutors, Pólit transferred bribes to Miami where he and his son John Christopher Pólit, purchased and resold dozens of residential properties in an attempt to launder the money. John Pólit, who lives in Miami, has also been charged with money laundering and other crimes, but has not yet gone to trial.

Rain continues in inter-mountain valley
Moderate to heavy rain fell in much of the inter-mountain Andean valley Wednesday, causing flooding in parts of Quito and raising river levels in Cuenca. The eastern foothills of the Andes also received significant rainfall, including the recharge region near the Coca River and the Coca Coda Sinclair hydroelectric plant. Moderate rain was also recorded Wednesday, near the Paute River and the Paute-Mazar hydro complex.

The national weather service reports that rain chances remain high through the weekend.

Blackouts disrupt internet service
Electric blackouts are causing interruptions and other technical problems for at least three internet service providers in Cuenca. In addition to temporary service cuts, the durations and repetition of the blackouts are slowing download speeds and causing other technical issues.

ETAPA’s internet manager Veronica Polo said Wednesday that her service’s back-up batteries are not designed for power breaks of more than three hours. “The longer blackouts require us to switch batteries frequently and sometimes to use gasoline powered generators, which causes short service suspensions,” she said. “This also causes some functions, like video downloads, to be disrupted and for this we apologize to our customers.”

Citizens Revolutions’ Veloz is new National Assembly president
Citizens Revolutions’ Viviana Veloz was sworn in Wednesday as National Assembly President, replacing Henry Kronfle who resigned to prepare his presidential campaign. Veloz had served as vice president of the Assembly since the 2023 cross death election.

Although Veloz is authorized to hold the presidency until May 2025, when a new Assembly is sworn in, she says she will probably run for reelection in February, requiring her to resign in December. A yet to be named Assembly vice president would take over at that time.

In his parting comments, Kronfle said the Assembly will be in “good hands” with Veloz, saying she is a dedicated public servant with high ethical standards. “We have some disagreements on the political issues but not regarding the solemn responsibility of managing this body,” he said.

Veloz’s presidency marks the first time since 2018 that a member of the Citizens Revolution movement has headed the National Assembly. Gabriela Rivadeneira held the position from 2013 to 2017 and was succeeded by fellow Correista José Serrano, who was forced to resign following a 2018 scandal.