Judge says that Correa is a convicted felon and ineligible to run for vice president

Judge Daniela Camacho

In response to questions from the National Electoral Council (CNE), National Court of Justice Judge Daniela Camacho wrote Wednesday that former President Rafael Correa’s conviction in the Bribes 2012-216 case is “fully enforceable” and that an appeal filed by his attorneys does not change the status of the case. The judge’s statement was sent to the Specialized Criminal Chamber of the National Court of Justice which is compiling a list of convicted felons who are ineligible to run in the February election. The list will be forwarded to the CNE.

“The appeal in the Bribes case is an autonomous action and does not affect the conviction,” Camacho wrote. “If the appeal is judged to have merit the case will be reexamined but until that time the sentence stands as ordered.” In the court’s June decision, Correa, who lives in Belgium, was sentenced to six years in prison.

Correa was nominated Tuesday by the Unión por la Esperanza (Unes) as its vice presidential candidate. Andrés Arauz was nominated for president.

In a statement on his Twitter account, Correa’s attorney Fausto Jarrín claimed that Camacho’s ruling violated the rules of legal cassation and was intended to keep Correa off the ballot. “The appeal is in process and should temporarily restrain enforcement of the conviction,” he wrote. “This is an action by a government fearful of the popularity of Rafael Correa and shows Ecuador as a country without regard for human rights.”