(CNN Spanish) – The judge on Saturday approved the habeas corpus order of former Ecuadorian Vice President George Glass, who is serving an eight – year prison sentence for various corruption cases. Klaus was released this afternoon (local time, Ecuador) from Ladakh prison in the province of Cotobaxi in the Highlands of Ecuador.
He was imprisoned there for more than 4 years.
Klaus was guarded by National Police and was welcomed by supporters and sympathizers outside the prison center.
Glas’s lawyer, Edison José Loaiza, said it was appropriate to approve the appeal because Ecuador was experiencing a prison crisis, and that Glas should be temporarily transferred to another prison. Loisa also described the former vice president’s health as “serious.” According to Loisa, Klaus could benefit from early release or enjoy the rest of his sentence at home.
The judge’s decision provoked an immediate reaction from Ecuadorian authorities. A statement released online from the office of Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso expressed “our concern over the rejection and misuse of the legal agreement and constitutional measures”.
The state attorney general’s office criticized the decision in a statement posted on social media, saying “different judges and national courts have determined his guilt” in relation to the former vice president.
Klaus has been in jail since the end of 2017, but has always denied corruption charges and said he was convicted without evidence. He also declared that he had been subjected to political persecution.
