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Jorge Glas
Jorge Glas en 2017.jpg
Glas in 2017
48th Vice President of Ecuador
In office
24 May 2013 – 3 January 2018
President Rafael Correa
Lenín Moreno
Preceded by Lenín Moreno
Succeeded by María Alejandra Vicuña
Coordinating Minister of Strategic Sectors
In office
5 April 2010 – 10 November 2012
President Rafael Correa
Preceded by Galo Borja
Succeeded by Rafael Poveda
Minister of Telecommunications and Information Society
In office
14 August 2009 – 3 April 2010
President Rafael Correa
Preceded by Position created
Succeeded by Jaime Guerrero
Personal details
Born
Jorge David Glas Espinel

(1969-09-13) 13 September 1969 (age 55)
Guayaquil, Ecuador
Citizenship
  • Ecuador
  • Germany
Political party Union for Hope
Other political
affiliations
PAIS Alliance
Spouse Cinthia Díaz Aveiga
Parents Jorge Glas Viejó
Norma Espinel Aráuz
Alma mater ESPOL

Jorge David Glas Espinel (born 13 September 1969) is an Ecuadorian politician and an electrical engineer. He served as the Vice President of Ecuador from May 2013 to December 2017.

In August 2017, the president at the time, Lenín Moreno, removed Glas from his duties as vice president. Later, in December 2017, Glas was found guilty by a court for receiving a large sum of money, over $13.5 million, in connection with a major case involving a company called Odebrecht.

In April 2024, Ecuadorian police entered the Mexican embassy in Quito and arrested Glas. This event caused Mexico to end its relationship with Ecuador. Glas has been held in prison since then.

Early Life and Education

Jorge Glas was born on September 13, 1969, in Guayaquil, Ecuador. His grandfather was a German Jewish immigrant who came to Ecuador to escape difficult times in Germany. Because of this family history, Jorge Glas also holds German citizenship.

He has been friends with Rafael Correa, who later became the president of Ecuador, since they were young boy scouts together.

Glas studied electrical and electronics engineering at the ESPOL university. He graduated in September 2008.

Political Career Highlights

Jorge Glas began his political career in 2007, working in the government of President Rafael Correa. He held several important roles.

  • He was the general manager of the Solidarity Fund, a group of public companies that managed telecommunications and electricity.
  • He also led the National Telecommunications Council.
  • Later, he became the Minister of Telecommunications.
  • He then served as the Coordinating Minister of Strategic Sectors. In this role, he helped combine two large telecommunications companies into the National Corporation of Telecommunications. He was also the first person to lead this new corporation.
  • As Coordinating Minister, he was in charge of building several important hydroelectric power stations, which help produce electricity for the country.

In the 2013 Ecuadorian general election, Jorge Glas was chosen to be the Vice President of Ecuador. He officially started his term on May 24, 2013. On August 4, 2017, the new president, Lenín Moreno, suspended Glas from his duties as vice president.

Legal Challenges and Imprisonment

On December 15, 2017, Jorge Glas was sentenced to six years in prison. This was for receiving money from a large Brazilian company called Odebrecht. Because he could not do his job for 90 days, he was officially removed from his position as Vice President on January 2, 2018. A few days later, María Alejandra Vicuña became the new Vice President.

In October 2019, a higher court confirmed his six-year prison sentence. Glas was held in a prison in Latacunga, south of Quito. In April 2020, he received another sentence of eight years in prison for a different case involving public funds. This also meant he could not participate in politics for 25 years. In January 2021, he received another eight-year sentence related to an oil contract.

Glas was temporarily released from prison in April 2022 due to health reasons, but he was later sent back to prison. In November 2022, he was released again, but he was not allowed to leave Ecuador.

In December 2023, Jorge Glas went to the Mexican embassy in Quito and asked for political asylum. He said he was being unfairly targeted by the government.

Arrest at the Mexican Embassy

On April 5, 2024, Ecuadorian police entered the Mexican embassy in Quito and arrested Jorge Glas. Mexico had just given him asylum. After this event, Mexico ended its diplomatic relationship with Ecuador. The next day, Nicaragua also ended its ties with Ecuador to support Mexico.

On April 9, 2024, prison officials stated that Glas was taken to a hospital in Guayaquil because he had not eaten for 24 hours. They reported his condition was stable.

On October 9, 2024, the United States government announced that Jorge Glas was not allowed to enter the United States. This decision was made due to accusations of corruption.

On January 5, 2025, Jorge Glas was moved from La Roca prison in Guayaquil after there was an alleged attempt to harm him. On June 30, 2025, Glas received another sentence of 13 years in prison. This was for misusing public money that was meant to help rebuild areas affected by the 2016 Ecuador earthquake.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Jorge Glas para niños

  • Ecuador–Mexico relations

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