2024-08-22 06:35:34
The Prosecutor’s Office has asked the judge in charge of the case to bring to trial Pedro Merizalde, former manager of the Pacific Refinery, along with his wife Zoa Torres and a legal entity. They are allegedly charged with money laundering for an amount close to USD 1 million.
In addition, the Prosecutor’s Office has requested that the personal precautionary measures imposed against the accused at the hearing of charges be maintained, which include regular appearances three times a week and a ban on leaving the country, considering that they are elderly.
According to the investigation, the Prosecutor’s Office maintains that Merizalde and Torres, in collaboration with the company Horgan Investments INC., allegedly formed a criminal organization to receive funds from abroad from contractors linked to strategic sectors of the Ecuadorian State. These transfers were allegedly carried out by third parties to hide the true beneficiaries from the Ecuadorian authorities, thus avoiding the detection of these assets and their origin.
The alleged crime was allegedly committed when Horgan Investments, founded on October 29, 2012, opened an account in Switzerland at the Bank of Canada on February 15, 2013, with Pedro Merizalde as the sole authorized signatory. According to the Prosecutor’s Office, between April 10, 2013, and March 30, 2015, the company received transfers totaling USD 814,243, funds that were then managed by Biscayne Capital Limit.
During this period, despite holding public office, Merizalde allegedly did not declare the existence of Horgan Investments in his asset declarations to the Comptroller’s Office.
In 2023, Horgan Investments was suspected of having received a payment from Odebrecht for more than USD 229.9 million through the Swiss account, as a gratuity for the contract to prepare the area of the Pacific Refinery project.
Pedro Merizalde not only held the position of former manager of the Pacific Refinery, but was also manager of Petroecuador and Minister of Hydrocarbons.
The hearing to resolve these accusations was suspended after interventions by all parties involved, and the judge is expected to issue his decision on Thursday, July 18.
By: Ecuador Live