Ecuadorian prosecutor dismisses allegations of mafia ties

Salazar said in an interview with local channel Ecuavisa that these accusations are part of a strategy to discredit the work of the Public Prosecutor’s Office.

According to La Posta, the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Financial Analysis Unit (UAFE) and the Tax Agency (SRI) have not taken legal action against companies and individuals suspected of having links to the Albanian mafia.

The prosecutor assured that the institution she heads has no intention of delaying in any way the investigation into the so-called Pampa case, which is linked to the activities of the Albanian mafia in Ecuador.

She further explained that this investigation is awaiting the preliminary hearing before trial, for alleged money laundering.

Regarding the impeachment proceedings against her at the National Assembly (Parliament), the prosecutor stated that there is no reason to justify her dismissal. He assured that the proceedings are politically colored.

According to her, this accusation is a “revenge of organized crime”, a response to her attempts to thwart it.

“We have shown how a political party colludes with drug trafficking and organized crime,” she said, without naming Revolución Ciudadana (Citizens’ Revolution), the organization that had referred the matter to parliament.

Last Monday, the Assembly announced that it will resume impeachment proceedings against the prosecutor, after the trial was halted after she alleged she had a high-risk pregnancy.

Salazar has come under fire for her selectivity and bias in the cases she investigates. She has focused on figures from the RC and former president Rafael Correa, who accuses her of political persecution. Other cases, however, remain on hold.

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