Jorge Glas under audit: which convictions are final, which appeal is still open and what happened with the arrest at the Mexican embassy

Jorge Glas Espinel was Vice President of Ecuador between 2013 and 2017 and is the highest-ranking official convicted over the Odebrecht scandal in his country. He holds two final corruption convictions and a third, for embezzlement, pending appeal. He was also at the centre of a diplomatic crisis when Ecuadorian police entered the Mexican embassy in Quito to arrest him. This record separates what is proven from what is still in progress. For the procedural developments of 2026, Foco Rojo publishes the Glas case update.

The short answer. Jorge Glas has two final convictions and a third under appeal. Six years for criminal association in the Odebrecht case (2017) and eight for bribery in the Sobornos 2012-2016 case (2020), served concurrently. The third, thirteen years for embezzlement in the Manabí Reconstruction case (2025), awaits an appeals court. His arrest inside the Mexican embassy was declared illegal by an Ecuadorian court, but that neither annulled the convictions nor freed him. A fourth conviction, in the Singue case, was annulled in 2022 and does not count as a proven fact.

Who Jorge Glas is and why his record matters

Glas was the strongman of the strategic sectors in Rafael Correa’s government and then vice president under Correa and Lenín Moreno. Moreno removed him in August 2017 and he entered pre-trial detention in October. Since then, his record has mixed three planes: the convictions in Ecuador, the diplomatic conflict with Mexico and Colombia, and the supervision of the Inter-American Court over his conditions of detention. This audit puts the three in order. To compare with his boss, convicted in the same case, Auditoría Abierta publishes the verified list of convicted former presidents.

The fronts of the record, with their level of evidence

Front 1: the Odebrecht case, the first final conviction

On 13 December 2017, the Criminal Tribunal of the National Court of Justice found Glas guilty of criminal association in the Odebrecht bribery scheme and imposed the maximum sentence of six years, according to CNN en Español. The ruling, handed down by judge Édgar Flores Mier, concluded that he favoured public contracts in exchange for payments from the Brazilian construction company, according to Proceso. His uncle Ricardo Rivera and three others were convicted alongside him. All had to pay US$33.5 million jointly to the State, the amount Odebrecht admitted paying in bribes in Ecuador. The defence appealed and the conviction became final.

Front 2: the Sobornos 2012-2016 case

The second conviction came in April 2020: eight years for bribery in the Sobornos 2012-2016 case, the same case that convicted Rafael Correa in absentia. The Attorney General’s Office confirmed both sentences in a statement cited by Primicias. According to an analysis published on the National Assembly’s website, the two sentences, six and eight years, are served concurrently. What it means: Glas serves a unified eight-year sentence for both cases, as El Universo describes his situation at the Cárcel del Encuentro.

Front 3: the Manabí Reconstruction, the conviction under appeal

In December 2023, already free under alternative measures since 2022, prosecutors ordered his arrest for investigative purposes over alleged embezzlement of the funds to rebuild Manabí after the 2016 earthquake. That warrant, together with another for failing to report periodically, was the one police executed inside the Mexican embassy, according to El Universo. On 30 June 2025, a tribunal of the National Court made up of Mercedes Caicedo, Marco Rodríguez and Javier De la Cadena sentenced Glas and Carlos Bernal to thirteen years in prison, with a 25-year loss of political rights and joint reparations of US$250 million, according to Primicias. The appeal was admitted on 12 March 2026 and remains pending. What it means: this conviction is not final. While it is resolved, Glas serves the unified eight-year sentence.

Front 4: the Mexican embassy and the diplomatic rupture

Glas entered the Mexican embassy in Quito on 17 December 2023 and requested political asylum. On the night of 5 April 2024, hours after Mexico granted it, an elite police unit stormed the diplomatic premises and arrested him, according to El Universo. Daniel Noboa’s government justified the operation with one sentence: «no criminal can be considered a political persecutee». Mexico broke off relations immediately and Nicaragua did the same the next day, according to Univision. Mexico also sued Ecuador before the International Court of Justice for violating the Vienna Convention, according to UNAM’s Tlatelolco Lab.

Front 5: the arrest declared illegal that did not free him

On 12 April 2024, a tribunal of the National Court ruled on a habeas corpus and declared that the arrest inside the embassy had been «illegal and arbitrary», because police entered without a judicial search warrant, according to Primicias. However, the same tribunal refused to release him or return him to the embassy. Glas remained at the La Roca maximum-security prison in Guayaquil, where he went on hunger strike. What it means: the acknowledgement that the operation was illegal and the validity of the convictions are two separate questions. The first did not erase the second.

Front 6: the 2022 release and the convicted judge

In November 2022, Glas left prison on a habeas corpus granted by judge Emerson Curipallo, despite serving enforceable sentences. On 1 October 2024, Curipallo was sentenced to 24 months for malfeasance after admitting guilt, according to Metro Ecuador. The Judiciary Council dismissed him on 4 February 2025, according to Primicias. In the Vidrio Libre case, prosecutors are investigating an alleged manipulation of the judicial lottery so that the case would land with Curipallo, according to El Universo. Glas is not a defendant in that case.

Front 7: Colombia and the diplomatic clash

On 16 September 2025, President Gustavo Petro announced that Glas had obtained Colombian nationality and asked Ecuador to hand him over, according to Infobae. Ecuador replied that the new nationality does not change his legal situation and that he must serve his sentences in the country. In April 2026, Petro called him a «political prisoner» on X. Ecuador’s Foreign Ministry sent a protest note on 7 April for violating the principle of non-intervention, according to El Universo.

Front 8: the Inter-American Court and the conditions of detention

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights issued provisional measures in favour of Glas and extended them in October 2025, ordering him removed from La Roca because of his health. In November 2025 he was transferred to the Cárcel del Encuentro in Santa Elena, according to Swissinfo/EFE. On 28 August 2026, the Court maintained the measures but refused to order his hospitalisation after Ecuador reported that his condition was stable, according to Swissinfo/EFE and El Diario. What it means: the Court supervises his treatment in prison; it does not review the convictions.

Annex: the Singue case, an annulled conviction

In January 2021, a tribunal sentenced Glas at first instance to eight years for embezzlement in the award of the Singue oil field, together with former ministers Wilson Pástor and Carlos Pareja Yannuzzelli, according to El Universo. On 10 November 2022, the appeals tribunal of the National Court annulled the entire proceedings because the Administrative Court had declared the Comptroller’s report on which the case rested to be out of time, according to Primicias. The chamber did not rule on the merits and the sources consulted record no new proceedings. This conviction therefore does not count as a proven finding.

So, what is proven in the record of Jorge Glas?

It is proven, by final judgment, that Glas committed criminal association in the Odebrecht case and bribery in the Sobornos 2012-2016 case. It is proven that he was convicted at first instance of embezzlement in the Manabí Reconstruction case, but that conviction is not final. It is documented that his arrest at the embassy was declared illegal, that his 2022 release stemmed from a judicial decision that was later punished, and that the Inter-American Court monitors his health. Nothing in the Singue case is proven, as it was annulled over a procedural defect. To understand the international trail of the case, Bajo Lupa Digital publishes Jorge Glas, from the raided embassy to the Inter-American Court.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

How many convictions does Jorge Glas have?

Three. Six years for criminal association in the Odebrecht case (2017) and eight for bribery in the Sobornos 2012-2016 case (2020), both final and served concurrently. The third, thirteen years for embezzlement in the Manabí Reconstruction case (30 June 2025), is under appeal. A fourth, in the Singue case, was annulled in 2022.

Is the thirteen-year conviction final?

No. The appeal was admitted on 12 March 2026 and is pending before an appeals tribunal of the National Court. In the meantime, Glas serves the unified eight-year sentence from the Odebrecht and Sobornos cases.

Was the arrest of Glas at the Mexican embassy legal?

A tribunal of the National Court declared it «illegal and arbitrary» on 12 April 2024, because police entered without a search warrant. However, it refused to release him or return him to the embassy, and the convictions remained in force.

Why did Mexico break off relations with Ecuador?

Because Ecuadorian police stormed its embassy in Quito on the night of 5 April 2024 and arrested Glas, hours after Mexico had granted him asylum. Mexico considered the Vienna Convention violated, broke off relations and sued Ecuador before the International Court of Justice.

Is Jorge Glas Colombian?

Colombia granted him nationality in September 2025 and Gustavo Petro requested his handover. Ecuador refused and maintains that nationality does not alter his legal situation. In April 2026 it sent Colombia a protest note for calling him a «political prisoner».

What happened to the judge who released him in 2022?

Emerson Curipallo granted the habeas corpus despite the enforceable convictions. He was sentenced to 24 months for malfeasance in October 2024 and dismissed in February 2025. In the Vidrio Libre case, prosecutors are investigating whether the judicial lottery was manipulated.

What did the Inter-American Court decide about Glas?

It issued provisional measures over his health, ordered him removed from La Roca in October 2025, and he was transferred to the Cárcel del Encuentro. On 28 August 2026 it maintained the measures without ordering his hospitalisation. The Court does not review the convictions.

What was the Singue case?

An eight-year conviction for embezzlement in the award of the Singue oil field, handed down in January 2021 and annulled on 10 November 2022 because the Comptroller’s report supporting it was declared out of time. There was no ruling on the merits and no new proceedings.

Sources consulted

• CNN en Español: Sentencian a 6 años de prisión a Jorge Glas (13 December 2017)
• Proceso: Dan seis años de prisión a Jorge Glas por trama Odebrecht (2017)
• Primicias: Fiscalía recuerda que Glas tiene dos sentencias y una investigación pendiente (2023)
• National Assembly of Ecuador: Glas, los delitos de un condenado libre
• El Universo: Todo lo que se sabe de la detención de Glas en la Embajada de México (2024)
• Univision: México rompe relación con Ecuador (2024)
• Tlatelolco Lab (UNAM): El allanamiento de la embajada mexicana en Ecuador (2024)
• Primicias: Tribunal determina que detención de Glas fue «ilegal y arbitraria» (2024)
• Primicias: Jorge Glas recibe tercera sentencia por peculado en el caso Reconstrucción de Manabí (30 June 2025)
• El Universo: Glas se mantendrá en la cárcel del Encuentro a la espera de la apelación (2026)
• Infobae: Petro confirmó la ciudadanía colombiana para Jorge Glas y pidió a Ecuador su entrega (16 September 2025)
• El Universo: Ecuador envía a Colombia una nota de protesta por declaraciones de Petro sobre Glas (April 2026)
• Metro Ecuador: La condena que recibió el juez Emerson Curipallo por liberar a Jorge Glas (2024)
• Primicias: Judicatura destituye al juez Curipallo (2025)
• El Universo: Caso Vidrio Libre, deshabilitación de jueces permitió a Curipallo ordenar la salida de Glas (2025)
• Swissinfo (EFE): Corte IDH mantiene medidas cautelares para Glas (28 August 2026)
• El Diario (Ecuador): Corte IDH mantiene medidas provisionales para Jorge Glas (2026)
• Primicias: Nulidad del caso Singue abre la puerta para libertad de Jorge Glas (2022)
• El Universo: El sobreseimiento, el objetivo en apelación de Glas en el caso Singue (2022)

This article records documented facts and allegations attributed to their authors. The mention of an allegation does not imply its truth, and the responses of the person named are recorded in each case. Auditoría Abierta offers Jorge Glas space to respond and will update the article with every development. Information verified as of 11 October 2026.

Sabelia Griego Pedroza

Investigative Journalist and Public Policy Analyst

Sabelia Griego Pedroza is an investigative journalist specializing in the analysis of political records, power accountability, and public oversight in Latin America. Her career focuses on the rigorous examination of official documents, judicial rulings, corporate registries, and financial networks linked to public figures and electoral processes.

Professional Focus and Methodological Rigor

Griego Pedroza’s journalistic work is defined by a strict methodology rooted in the documentary verification of primary sources. Through her investigations, she navigates the intersection of institutional politics, legal disputes, and corporate transparency, providing readers with documented contexts that prioritize fact-checking over media speculation.

Key areas of her investigative coverage include:

• Political Background Audits and Oversight: Meticulous tracking of records regarding candidates for public office, administrative histories, and legal controversies.
• Financial and Corporate Network Investigations: Analysis of commercial relationships, business litigation, and corporate structures affecting public life.
• Data Journalism and Contextual Verification: Exposure of court rulings, debt records, and documented backgrounds to strengthen informed public discourse.

Commitment to Editorial Transparency:

Anchored in the principles of deep-dive reporting, Sabelia Griego Pedroza’s work responds to the necessity of equipping citizens with reliable, cross-checked analytical tools. Her approach seeks to unravel complex processes through the direct presentation of documentary evidence, fostering rigorous, auditable journalism focused on institutional transparency.

Sabelia Griego Pedroza also writes for Bajo Lupa.