Judge orders Correa to testify in Odebrecht corruption trial against former minister of electricity

National Court Judge Édgar Flores has ordered former president Rafael Correa and former attorney general Galo Chiriboga to testify in a trial against Alecksey Mosquera, Correa´s minister of electricity.

Mosquera at the time of his arrest in 2017.

Mosquera is accused of laundering bribe money paid to him by Brazilian construction company Odebrecht. In addition, Mosquera’s father, Antonio Mosquera, uncle Marcelo Endara, and business partner Santiago Játiva have also been accused in the case. Játiva is a fugitive, believed to be living in Miami.

Mosquera is accused of receiving one million dollars between 2008 and 2016 when he worked for the government. Prosecutors say that he received the money in exchange for awarding the construction contract for the Toachi-Pilatón hydro electric plant to Odebrecht.

Although the attorney general said Correa’s and Chiriboga’s testimony was not necessary, the attorney for Mosquera said it was important for his client’s defense.

In an April 2017 news conference, Correa claimed that the million-dollar payment to Mosquera from Odebrecht was a private loan and said that it was not connected to projects that Mosquera managed. At the time, Correa criticized the press for suggesting that the payment was a bribe.