Jorge Glas is sentenced to six years in prison

Vice President Jorge Glas heads back to jail after Wednesday’s verdict.

A three-judge National Court of Justice tribunal has sentenced Vice President Jorge Glas to six years in prison for his role in the Odebrecht corruption scandal. The sentence, announced just before 5 p.m. on Wednesday, is the maximum penalty for the crime of illicit association.

Also given a six-year sentence was Glas’ uncle, Ricardo Rivera, who the court said collected $14 million in bribes on Glas’ behalf.

Reading the tribunal’s verdicts, Judge Édgar Flores said that “overwhelming evidence” presented during the trial proved that Glas was the “author” of the massive bribery scandal. “He was ultimately responsible for the emblematic projects involved in the corruption,” the judge said.

Three other defendants, Édgar Arias, Carlos Villamarín, and Ramiro Carrillo, also received six-year sentences, while Gustavo Massuh, José Rubén Terán and Képler Verduga were sentenced to 18 months in prison.

According to Judge Flores, Glas arranged bribery payments through Odebrecht’s Ecuador representative, José Conceição Santos, for a number of major projects, including the Pascuales-Cuenca pipeline, the Manduriacu hydroelectric power plant, the La Esperanza aqueduct, the Daule-Vinces water transfer plant, and the Pacific refinery in Manabi Province.

“Through these and other projects, he (Glas) acted as the principal of the crime,” the judge said.

According to prosecutors, Glas demanded one percent personal payment on all government contracts awarded to Odebrecht.