(CNN Spanish) – A judge on Saturday approved a subpoena by former Ecuadorean Vice President Jorge Glass, who is serving an 8-year prison sentence in various corruption cases. Glass was released Sunday noon (Ecuador local time) from Latakunga prison in Cotopaxi province in the Ecuadorean highlands.
He was held there for more than 4 years.
Glass was guarded by the National Police and was greeted by supporters and sympathizers outside the prison center.
Glass’s attorney, Edison Jose Luisa, said the appeal is appropriate because Ecuador is experiencing a prison crisis, adding that Glass should be temporarily transferred to another prison. Louisa also described the former vice president’s health as a “serious health condition.” According to Louisa, Glass could benefit from early release or spend the remainder of his sentence at home.
The judge’s decision sparked an immediate reaction from Ecuadorean officials. A statement posted online from the office of Ecuadorean President Guillermo Lasso expressed “rejection and legal disagreement, as well as our concern about the abuse of constitutional procedures.”
The Attorney General’s office also criticized the decision in a statement posted on social media, and said that “various judges and national courts have determined his criminal responsibility” in relation to the former vice president.
Glass has been in prison since the end of 2017, but has always denied the corruption charges and said he was sentenced without evidence. He also declared himself a victim of political persecution.
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