Former assemblyman Pablo Muentes was arrested in the raids for the ‘Purga’ case, which investigates corruption in the judicial system in Guayas.
Former assemblyman Pablo Muentes Alarcón was elected for the 2021-2025 legislative period, by the Social Christian Party (PSC), he arrived as Soledad Diab’s alternate and in 2022 he became the main candidate, once she ran for the Guayaquil councilorship.
Muentes was one of the promoters of the dismissal of former president Guillermo Lasso and, once the cross death was decreed sought re-electionbut he didn’t get it.
In his National Assembly blog he presented himself as a lawyer and businessman specializing in project management; This March 4, 2024 at dawn he was arrested for the ‘Purga’ case, which investigates the drug trafficking infiltration in the Guayas justice system and which is a consequence of the ‘Metastasis’ case, which investigated the same event, but at the national level.
Along with Muentes, his wife, Mónica Alvarado, and Fausto Alarcón, cousin of the former legislator, were arrested; In the house of someone who was an assembly member until May 2023, weapons, ammunition, Luxury articles such as Rolex watches and almost USD 8,000 in cash.
According to the State Attorney General, Diana Salazar, what happened with Muentes is an example that corruption was generated in the mostlts spheres of legislative politics and that put the administration of justice at the service of drug trafficking, in one of the most influential provinces in the country.
As soon as the arrest of the former legislator from the ranks of the PSC was made public, former president Rafael Correa pointed out that what Diana Salazar had done was an act of revenge for the dismissal of Fausto Murillo, former member of the Judicial Council who, according to the former president, He was the prosecutor’s operator in the administrative body of the Judicial Function.
Not even the PSC defended Muentes so much, in a statement it was pointed out that “no one is above the law” and that former assemblyman Pablo Muentes must answer for his actions before justice.
Case against Banco del Pacífico
At the time he was elected assemblyman, Pablo Muentes was already interfering in justice, as he demonstrated in a lawsuit against Banco del Pacíficoan institution to which he not only managed not to pay a loan of USD 314 thousand, but also managed to be compensated with USD 4 million.
The former legislator presented as evidence in the case against Banco del Pacífico 12 payment receipts that would have been counterfeit. The loan was granted to Muentes’ wife for the acquisition of a shrimp farm.
Former assemblyman Pablo Muentes is close to the former mayor of Guayaquil, Jaime Nebot, with whom he worked in the Municipality of this city.
Furthermore, Muentes was known for suing whoever was investigating him or those close to him, as he denounced Guillermo Lizarzaburo, a journalist who was sentenced to two years in prison for the crime of slander, for which he was also forced to pay compensation of USD 80 thousand.
In this case, the former assemblyman accused the journalist of defaming him through tweets that, according to Lizarzaburo, never existed. The action against him would have actually been retaliation for having reported on the irregular sale of land in which Fausto Alarcón would be involved. , cousin of Muentes, who was also arrested yesterday.
Pointed out by Fernando Villavicencio
On April 24, 2023, presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio denounced Muentes and the Correismo legislators: Ronny Aleaga, Roberto Cuero, Ronald González and Walter Gómez, of plan his hitman-style murder; He made the lawsuit public after a verbal altercation with the now-indicted former assemblyman.
The case was taken up by Christian Zurita, who took over Villavicencio’s presidential candidacy, which was later denounced by Muentes, who accused the journalist of moral damagethe case was accepted for processing in September 2023.
President of the Court involved
Together with Pablo Muentes and his family, Fabiola Gallardo, president of the Provincial Court of Guayas, was detained until January 2024; seven judges from this same province: Reinaldo Cevallos, Johann Marfetán, Nelson Ponce, Lino Ramos, Henry Taylor, Guillermo Valarezo and the judicial secretary Saúl Mero.
Fabiola Gallardo was included in the shortlist that the former president of the National Court of Justice (CNJ), Ivan Saquicelapresented to the Council of Citizen Participation and Social Control to be elected as president of the Council of the Judiciary.
When Saquicela nominated her, the judge’s candidacy received harsh criticismbecause it had taken controversial resolutions, for example, it ordered the dismissal of the directors of the company Foglocons, which was supposedly responsible for fictitious exports to Venezuela, with which Alex Saab, investigated in the United States for being the front man of the president of this country Nicolás Maduro, laundered money.
During the two years in which he was in charge of the Provincial Court of Guayas, he counted as his right hand Mayra Salazar, who was one of the romantic partners of the drug trafficker murdered in the Latacunga prison, Leandro Norero, whose cell phones triggered the investigations by the ‘Metastasis’ case