Mexico breaks relations with Ecuador following raid of Mexican embassy and arrest of Jorge Glas

Ecuador National Police took former vice president Jorge Glas into custody Friday night at the Mexican embassy in Quito. Following the 10 p.m. raid, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced that Mexico was suspending diplomatic relations with Ecuador.

National Police prepare to enter the Mexican embassy in Quito Friday night.

Glas had taken refuge in the embassy in December after he was ordered to return to prison to complete a six-year corruption sentence for his role in the Odebrecht scandal. Glas was released from prison last year by a judge who has since been arrested on suspicion of accepting bribes.

Glas also faces new charges for illicit enrichment in a 2016 earthquake reconstruction project and harassment of a former assistant.

The raid of the Mexican embassy followed Mexico’s grant of political asylum to Glas earlier Friday. In its decision, Mexico’s Foreign Ministry said it believed Glas’ convictions were politically motivated and not based on evidence of criminal activity. Obrador is friend of former president Rafael Correa for whom Glas served as vice president from 2013 to 2017.

In a statement late Friday night, Obrador described Ecuador’s entry into the embassy as “unprecedented and authoritarian” and said he planned to challenge the raid and Glas’ arrest before the International Court of Justice.

Also on Friday night, President Daniel Noboa justified the raid and detention of Glas, claiming that Mexico had violated the mission of its embassy to serve as a “diplomatic space” for strengthening relations between countries. “It is not intended to provide refuge to criminals,” he said.

“No common criminal can be considered politically persecuted, and Jorge Glas has been convicted with an enforceable sentence and faced other charges in pending cases,” Noboa said. “Based on abuse of immunities and privileges granted to the Mexican diplomatic mission, including its illegitimate grant of immunity, the arrest of Jorge Glas has been carried out.”

In addition to the Mexican response, entry into the embassy and arrest of Glas was blasted by Glas’ supporters in the Correista Citizens Revolution movement. Luisa Gonzalez, Citizens Revolution president and former presidential candidate, called Friday night’s events “Unbelievable,” adding, “It proves that in Ecuador there is no rule of law.”

Quito constitutional attorney and San Francisco University professor Farith Simon also called the Friday night raid a mistake. “There are things that should not be done under the perspective of international law,” he said. “Yes, Glas probably does not deserve political asylum, but you cannot force your way into another country’s diplomatic embassy.”

Others, however, voiced support for Ecuador’s action. Former security secretary and deputy government minister Diego Ordóñez claimed Mexico’s grant of immunity to Glas was a violation of international law. “He was convicted of financial crimes, stealing from the public, and he had other cases of common crimes awaiting trial,” Ordóñez said. “This is clearly not a case of political persecution and I applaud the courage of President Daniel Noboa for making the tough decision to capture the fugitive. Of course, the Correistas will squeal, but they have little basis to object given their recently uncovered connections to criminality.”