Ecuador ex‑minister José de la Gasca calls verification move a persecution in Fiscal General contest

Former Ecuadorian Government minister José de la Gasca posted on Instagram that the Citizen Selection Commission’s activation of a verification procedure against his candidacy for Fiscal General is a baseless “persecution.” The move follows a citizen complaint lodged on 9 July by Norberto Moreno, which included a video showing De la Gasca behind former CPCCS counselor Roberto Gilbert. De la Gasca describes the action as a “curtain of smoke” intended to remove him from the selection process.

The Commission notified De la Gasca on 10 July that it was initiating verification, citing alleged conflict‑of‑interest concerns. He disputes the legitimacy of the Commission and the CPCCS, pointing to the International Observation Mission’s criticism of the contest for lacking technical qualifications among commissioners, opacity, unjustified delays, and irregularities in merit scoring. The mission recommended annulment of the contest, which has been stalled for a month because the CPCCS does not have all its members appointed. De la Gasca says he will formally respond to clear the allegations and restore credibility to the process.