Judge Emerson Curipallo, of the Criminal Unit of Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas, issued a release order in favor of the former vice-president, who must report once a week in Guayaquil and cannot leave the country.

Glas, who has been behind bars for five years, is considered a victim of the judicialization of politics and was awaiting the determination of the date of a hearing to decide his release, but this new measure allows him to await the final ruling out of prison.

In early November, the National Court of Justice dismissed the accusation against the former vice president and six other people involved in alleged irregularities in contracts for oil extraction in the Singue field during the Rafael Correa administration (2007-2017).

With that ruling, the defense requested the unification of sentences to access pre-release after serving time for alleged crimes of illicit association in the Odebrecht case and for aggravated bribery in the case known as Sobornos (Bribes), for which Correa was also convicted in absentia.

Glas was denied two habeas corpus, one of which would have allowed him to leave jail for several days this year, but the measure was annulled due to political and media pressure.

jg/aph/ro/avr