2024-04-11 16:02:11
The hearing took more than 13 hours in which four anticipated testimonies were presented in the Metastasis case. Those of Mayra Salazar and Marcelo Lasso, a friend of Leandro Norero, were the most revealing.
Since before 07:00, in the vicinity of the National Court of Justice building – in the north of Quito – a strong security device was deployed.
In this place, Mayra Salazar and three other people gave advance testimony in the Metastasis case.
The advance testimonies were presented by:
Mayra Salazar, Former communicator of the Court of Guayas and alleged operator of the drug trafficker Leandro Norero.
Helive Angle, aka ‘Dear’alleged administrator of Norero’s assets.
Marcelo Lasso, friend and cellmate of Norero, in the Cotopaxi Prison.
Lidia Sarabiaprosecutor of Guayas, who investigated Norero and his family for money laundering.
According to the Prosecutor’s Office, Norero commanded a criminal structure that operated from the Latacunga prison, while he was detained – between May and October 2022 – to seek impunity for himself and his family.
Judge Felipe Córdova installs the hearing
At 8:38, Judge Felipe Córdova declared the hearing to review precautionary measures and take early testimony for the Metastasis case. The diligence will begin with the taking of testimonies and then will be the review of precautionary measures requested by several of the defendants. Among those involved in this review is Johan Marfetán, judge of the Court of Guayas.
Below is an account of what happened in this procedure:
“Norero was a top money launderer,” says prosecutor, through tears
The fourth testimony came from Lidia Sarabia, prosecutor of an investigative unit specialized in drug trafficking cases. According to the chats of the Metastasis case, she was persecuted by the drug trafficker Leandro Norero Tigua, whom she called “top money launderer.
He mentioned that in his investigations he determined that Norero had been declared as died from covid19 in Peru, where he was being investigated for aggravated drug trafficking, although, in reality, he was alive in Ecuador and was murdered in October 2022 in the Cotopaxi prison.
He said that in May 2022 he ordered raids on two Norero properties in the Riveras del Batán urbanization, in Samborondón, where he found 42 gold bullion, 74 high-end watches (valued at USD 2.5 million), almost USD 7 million in cash, five guns, among other evidence. At the site, the drug trafficker was arrested along with four other people. The prosecutor presumes that Norero would have laundered around USD 15 million.
«Institutionalized corruption»
For this procedure, Sarabia stated that he had to overcome unprecedented procedural incidents, such as the refusal of Judge Vicente Guillén to authorize arrests or searches, in addition to 14 protection actions filed, even simultaneously, such as one that fell to Judge Ángel Lindao, in Santo Domingo, who ordered the return of a seized property.
He assured that in this case there was «systematic institutionalized corruption. Among the incidents, Sarabia recalled that Norero’s defense lawyer, Christian Romero, asked for the fingerprints of more than 400 people who had nothing to do with the case. Furthermore, he added that he could not continue the investigations and that he requested help from the provincial prosecutor of Guayas, Yanina Villagómez, but she, instead of helping him, told him that she “does not have prosecutors.”
Thus, he concluded that this investigation process against Norero, and those who helped him launder drug trafficking money, was “extremely weakened by actions of lawyers and officials” of the administration of justice, including judges.
«The threats I have had are strong»
Through tears and with a broken voice, he mentioned that he has suffered threats against his life and that of his family for investigating Norero. In fact, she showed up at the stagecoach wearing a bulletproof vest. «I have had threats to my integrity, emails. My life has changed a lot, actually. This makes me very angry, I I can’t even go out to the corner because I know that my life and integrity are at risk.
The threats I have had are strong, some in criminal jargon, others directly. That’s why I’m wearing a bulletproof vest. “My life took a turn as a result of the Norero case.”added the prosecutor.
«“They are not respecting the law, they are not respecting the rules.”, he remarked. After giving her testimony, prosecutor Sarabia, who is a protected witness of the Public Ministry, was subjected to an interrogation by some of the lawyers of the almost fifty people prosecuted for the Metastasis case, with questions classified as repetitive by the Attorney General, Diana Salzar. , since they required her, for example, to remember dates of the procedures that she said she did not remember.
At 11:21 p.m., the reception of anticipated testimonies concluded.
Confirmed aliases
In his story, Angulo also confirmed that Xavier Jordán and Ronny Aleaga, also processed, They were the ones who participated in the chats with Leandro Norero.
He assured that Aleaga was, indeed, alias ‘Ruso’ and was a Norero operator. Jordaninstead, I would have used users’Ravioli’, ‘Husband’ and ‘Daddy Yankee’, according to the testimony. Norero, in addition, would have given money to promote the “No” campaign in the popular consultation promoted by former president Guillermo Lasso.
Noreroaccording to the witness, I was afraid of extradition. Angulo also reiterated the version that a supposed intermediary of the deceased Fernando Villavicencio would have requested money in cash and monthly payments in exchange for stopping publications against the criminal network.
Testimonial from alias ‘Dear’
The third to give his version was Hélive Angulo, alias Estimado, who was part of Leandro Norero’s group of lawyers.
One of the first revelations was the relationship of Leandro Norero with the late mayor of Manta, Agustín Intriago. According to his version, he put the two characters in contact and assured that Intriago requested a loan of USD 500,000 to purchase an apartment.
Ultimately, that money would have come from Norero. First, The boss would have given USD 178,000 as a donation to Intriago and then he gave him the loan for USD 500,000 «in order for this money to be invested in public works.
The owner of the contact book
At the end of the first part of his testimony, Salazar explained that in December 2022, a friend of hers was arrested and she helped her so that she was not sent to a cell block during the day she was in prison.
Upon leaving prison, this woman looked for Salazar and gave her a small agenda in which the names of the Xavier Jordán operators, alleged partner of Norero. Salazar delivered that agenda to the Prosecutor’s Office and it is now part of his cooperation in the Metastasis case. Salazar identified that friend as Carolina Jaume.
Salazar on Pablo Muentes
Mayra Salazar assured: «Part of my communication work with Pablo Muentes was to create and contract Twitter accounts, which served to defend Pablo Muentes to attack accounts for his benefit. These accounts were managed as a troll center.
And they served to disseminate material that they requested of me,” Mayra Salazar also said. Muentes was a Christian Social legislator and was linked to the Purge case that investigates a alleged corruption network in the Provincial Court of Justice of Guayas.
In his testimony, Salazar assured that Muentes managed the majority of the members of the Judiciary Council with Wilman Terán, Xavier Muñoz and Maribel Barreno. In another aspect of his testimony, Salazar told about the way in which Pablo Muentes supposedly trafficked land.
He spoke of the existence of a macro lot of 1,000 hectares, which at the time belonged to the Isaías brothers. He said that it was divided into 10 lots and an association was established in each lot. Salazar stated that Pablo Muentes, through his operators from the Ministry of Agriculture, had these fractions awarded to several natural persons and they sold through his operators to Muentes and members of his family.
“If something happens to me, the only person responsible is Mr. Pablo Muentes Alarcón,” Salazar said.
Lasso: Norero spoke with Correa
The Prosecutor calls to testify Marcelo Lasso Saavedra, Leandro Norero’s friend and cellmate in the Cotopaxi prison.
In his testimony, he stated that it was witness two video calls, through the Threema application, of Norero with Rafael Correa, former president of the Republic.
El Patron would also have spoken with Xavier Jordán, a businessman prosecuted in the case, and with Ronny Aleaga, former assemblyman of the Citizen Revolution. Lasso Saavedra said that he is sure about the calls with Correa because He saw her face and heard the voice on the video call. The former president’s username was “RC” or “RC5.” In the conversations, the witness said, Correa and Norero They talked about the freedom of Glas. Norero called him ‘Spear‘.
Witness revealed alleged calls between Norero and Rafael Correa for the freedom of Jorge Glas. pic.twitter.com/9pLQzXuj4Z
— Firsts (@Primicias) March 28, 2024
Source: PRIMICIAS