Corruption in Ecuador

Corruption in Ecuador is a highly serious problem. In 2014, the U.S. Department of State cited Ecuador's corruption as a key human-rights problem. According to Freedom House, “Ecuador has long been racked by corruption” and the weak judicial oversight and investigative resources perpetuate a culture of impunity. In 2012, The Daily Mail called the country “a hotbed of corruption” and stated that corruption “is widespread in the government, judiciary and police.”

According to one report, “institutionalized graft has become a driving force” of Ecuador's economy, and that this graft “is flourishing in a vacuum of transparency or accountability.” The same report indicated that “the entire business class of Guayaquil” owns offshore bank accounts.

When Julian Assange of sought refuge in Ecuador, the Daily Mail noted with irony that some of the diplomatic cables he had published revealed corruption in the same nation he sought asylum from.

David Rosero, a member of the opposition party and Ecuador's Council for Citizen Participation, has said that $2 billion is lost every year to corruption.

In 2014, Transparency International placed Ecuador at 110st place out of 174 countries in its ranking of government corruption, with 1st place being least corrupt. Neighbors Chile and Uruguay tied for 21st place.

A 2014 report by the Organization of American States urged the Ecuadoran Prosecutor’s Office to remove barriers to processing corruption complaints and prosecutions.

When Rafael Correa took office as president in 2007, he announced a “revolution against corruption.” But this revolution was criticized by some as having never materialized. Instead Correa eliminated the feeble anti-corruption mechanisms already in place and reduced the anti-corruption budget. According to Ecuadoran journalist Fabian Loza, Correa has filled leadership positions in the judiciary, police force, and nation's security forces with political allies.

Only five weeks into his tenure, Correa undermined the Civic Anti-Corruption Commission, formed in 1998, by establishing the National Anticorruption Secretariat, which gave public officials the job of investigating the corruption of public officials. Ten months later, he abolished the commission entirely and replaced it with the Council for Citizen Participation and Social Control. This council, which was entirely under his personal control, was placed above the National Anticorruption Secretariat and diluted its powers.

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Wikipedia