Jorge Glas was Vice President of Ecuador between 2013 and 2017. He is the highest-ranking official convicted over the Odebrecht case in his country. He holds two final convictions and a third, of 13 years, pending appeal. However, his case file became an international affair on the night of 5 April 2024. Hours after Mexico granted him asylum, Ecuadorian police stormed the Mexican embassy in Quito and arrested him. Mexico broke off relations and sued Ecuador before the International Court of Justice. Colombia then granted him citizenship and demanded his handover. This piece follows the case from that dimension. It separates what Ecuadorian courts decided from what foreign bodies and governments have said.
The short answer. Jorge Glas has two final convictions and a third awaiting appeal. What makes it an international case is his arrest inside the Mexican embassy on 5 April 2024. An Ecuadorian court declared it «illegal and arbitrary», but did not release him. Mexico broke off relations and took Ecuador to the International Court of Justice. Colombia naturalised him in 2025 and demanded his handover; Ecuador refused. The Inter-American Court monitors his health in prison. As of 8 October 2026 he is serving the unified eight-year sentence at the Cárcel del Encuentro.
Who Jorge Glas is and why his case matters in October 2026
Glas was the strongman of the strategic sectors in Rafael Correa’s government. He then served as vice president under Correa and under Lenín Moreno. Moreno removed him in August 2017 and in October he entered pre-trial detention. In December 2017 the first conviction came.
His case matters because it mixes three planes that are usually read separately. The Ecuadorian convictions, which are final. The diplomatic dispute with Mexico and Colombia, which remains open. And the supervision of the Inter-American Court, which does not question the convictions but does scrutinise his conditions of detention. To understand the first plane, it is worth reading Auditoría Abierta’s verified list of convicted former presidents. It records his boss, Rafael Correa, convicted in the same case.
Timeline of the Glas case, decision by decision
| Date | Body | Decision | Evidence level |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 2017 | President Lenín Moreno | Removes him from his duties | Proven |
| 13 December 2017 | National Court of Justice, Judge Édgar Flores | 6 years for criminal association (Odebrecht); joint payment of US$33.5 million | Final |
| April 2020 | National Court of Justice | 8 years for bribery in Sobornos 2012-2016, together with Correa | Final in July 2020 |
| January 2021 | First-instance court | 8 years for embezzlement in the Singue case | Annulled on 10 November 2022 |
| November 2022 | Judge Emerson Curipallo | Habeas corpus; Glas leaves prison | Judge later convicted of malfeasance |
| 17 December 2023 | Glas | Enters the Mexican embassy in Quito and requests asylum | Proven |
| 5 April 2024 | Government of Daniel Noboa | Police storm the embassy and arrest him hours after Mexican asylum | Proven; Mexico breaks off relations |
| 12 April 2024 | National Court of Justice | Declares the arrest «illegal and arbitrary», but does not release him | Proven |
| 1 October 2024 | Ecuadorian courts | Sentence Judge Curipallo to 24 months for malfeasance | Final |
| 30 June 2025 | National Court of Justice | 13 years for embezzlement in the Manabí Reconstruction; US$250 million in reparations | Appeal pending |
| 16 September 2025 | Gustavo Petro | Announces Glas’s Colombian nationality and demands his handover | Refused by Ecuador |
| October-November 2025 | Inter-American Court | Extends provisional measures; transfer to the Cárcel del Encuentro | In force |
| 7 April 2026 | Ecuador’s Foreign Ministry | Protest note to Colombia for calling him a «political prisoner» | Proven |
| 28 August 2026 | Inter-American Court | Maintains the measures, refuses to order hospitalisation | In force |
The convictions in Ecuador, the starting point
The first conviction came on 13 December 2017: the Criminal Tribunal of the National Court of Justice imposed the maximum sentence of 6 years, according to CNN en Español. The offence: criminal association in the Odebrecht scheme. The ruling found that he favoured public contracts in exchange for payments from the construction company. Together with his uncle Ricardo Rivera and three others convicted, he had to pay US$33.5 million jointly. That is the figure Odebrecht admitted paying in bribes in Ecuador.
In April 2020 came the second: 8 years for bribery in the Sobornos 2012-2016 case. It is the same case that convicted Rafael Correa. Both sentences are served concurrently as eight years, according to the National Assembly and El Universo. The third came on 30 June 2025: 13 years for embezzlement in the Manabí Reconstruction after the 2016 earthquake, according to Primicias. It includes reparations of US$250 million. The Court admitted the appeal on 12 March 2026 and it remains pending. A fourth conviction, of 8 years over the Singue case, fell in November 2022. The annulment was due to a defect in the Comptroller’s report, without a ruling on the merits.
2022: a release that ended in a conviction for the judge
In November 2022, Glas left prison on a habeas corpus granted by Judge Emerson Curipallo. He was then serving enforceable sentences. That episode had consequences for the judge, not for Glas. On 1 October 2024, Curipallo admitted guilt and received 24 months for malfeasance, according to Metro Ecuador. The Judiciary Council dismissed him in February 2025. In the Vidrio Libre case, prosecutors are investigating an alleged manipulation of the judicial lottery so that the case would land with Curipallo. Glas is not a defendant in that case.
April 2024: the raid on the Mexican embassy
Glas entered the Mexican embassy in Quito on 17 December 2023 and requested asylum. Prosecutors had two warrants against him: one over the Manabí embezzlement and another for failing to report periodically. On the night of 5 April 2024, hours after Mexico granted asylum, an elite police unit stormed the diplomatic premises. It arrested him right there, according to El Universo. The government of Daniel Noboa ordered the operation and justified it this way: «no criminal can be considered a political persecutee».
The reaction was immediate. Mexico broke off diplomatic relations and Nicaragua did the same the next day, according to Univision. Mexico sued Ecuador before the International Court of Justice for violating the Vienna Convention, according to UNAM’s Tlatelolco Lab. The OAS and several governments condemned the act. On 12 April 2024, a tribunal of the National Court ruled on a habeas corpus and declared the arrest «illegal and arbitrary», according to Primicias. The reason: police entered without a judicial search warrant. However, it refused to release him or return him to the embassy. Glas entered the La Roca maximum-security prison in Guayaquil.
2025-2026: Colombia enters the dispute
On 16 September 2025, Gustavo Petro announced that Glas had obtained Colombian nationality, according to Infobae. He also asked Ecuador to hand him over. Ecuador replied that the new nationality does not change his legal situation and that he must serve his sentences in the country. According to Infobae, the case contributed to the tariff dispute between the two countries in January 2026. 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. It reiterated that Glas is a convicted man.
The Inter-American Court and the conditions of detention
The Inter-American Court of Human Rights issued provisional measures over his state of health and extended them in October 2025. It ordered him removed from La Roca. In November 2025 Ecuador transferred him to the Cárcel del Encuentro in Santa Elena, according to Swissinfo/EFE. On 28 August 2026, the Court maintained the measures, according to Swissinfo/EFE and El Diario. However, it refused to order his hospitalisation because Ecuador reported that his condition was stable. The scope should be read carefully: the Inter-American Court supervises his treatment in prison, it does not review the convictions.
What Glas says and what his accusers say
Glas declares himself a political persecutee. He requested asylum from Mexico on that argument and went on hunger strike at La Roca. He also asked the Court to hand him over to Mexico or another country, according to Primicias. His lawyers have taken the case to the Inter-American Court. The Ecuadorian State, under Moreno, Lasso and Noboa, holds a single position: he is a man convicted by the ordinary courts, not a persecutee. Mexico, Nicaragua and Colombia have sided with Glas on the diplomatic plane. The OAS condemned the embassy raid without ruling on the convictions.
How to read this case file
Three keys. First: the first two convictions are final and no international body has annulled them. Second: an Ecuadorian court acknowledged the illegality of the arrest at the embassy. However, that neither erased the convictions nor freed him. They are two separate questions. Third: the conflict with Mexico and Colombia is diplomatic and remains open at the International Court of Justice. To compare with another Ecuadorian case tried outside the country, Bajo Lupa publishes the case file of Carlos Pólit.
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 are final and run concurrently as eight years. The third, thirteen years for embezzlement in the Manabí Reconstruction (30 June 2025), is under appeal. A fourth, over the Singue case, was annulled in 2022.
Why did Mexico break off relations with Ecuador over Glas?
Because Ecuadorian police stormed the Mexican embassy in Quito on the night of 5 April 2024 and arrested Glas. Mexico had granted him asylum hours earlier. Mexico considered the Vienna Convention violated, broke off relations and sued Ecuador before the International Court of Justice.
Was Glas’s arrest legal?
A tribunal of the National Court of Justice declared it «illegal and arbitrary» on 12 April 2024. Police had entered without a search warrant. However, the same tribunal refused to release him or return him to the embassy. He remains in prison serving his sentences.
Is Jorge Glas Colombian?
Colombia granted him nationality in September 2025 and President Gustavo Petro demanded his handover. Ecuador refused and maintains that nationality does not alter his legal situation. In April 2026 it sent a protest note to Colombia for calling him a «political prisoner».
What has the Inter-American Court decided about Glas?
It issued provisional measures over his health and in October 2025 ordered him removed from La Roca prison. Ecuador transferred him to the Cárcel del Encuentro in November 2025. On 28 August 2026 it maintained the measures, but did not order his hospitalisation. The Court does not review the convictions.
How did Glas get out of prison in 2022?
On a habeas corpus granted by Judge Emerson Curipallo, despite having enforceable convictions. Curipallo received 24 months for malfeasance in October 2024 and lost his post in 2025. In the Vidrio Libre case, prosecutors are investigating whether the judicial lottery was manipulated.
Where is Jorge Glas today?
At the Cárcel del Encuentro in Santa Elena. He is serving the unified eight-year sentence from the Odebrecht and Sobornos cases. Meanwhile, he awaits the appeal of the thirteen-year conviction over Manabí.
How much does Glas owe the State?
US$33.5 million jointly with the other Odebrecht convicts (2017). In addition, US$250 million in joint reparations in the Manabí Reconstruction case (2025), pending appeal.
Sources consulted
- CNN en Español: Sentencian a 6 años de prisión a Jorge Glas (13 December 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: Glas pide a la Corte que lo entregue a México u otro país (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)
- Infobae: Quién es Jorge Glas, el exvicepresidente por el que se habría desatado la disputa arancelaria (January 2026)
- 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)
This piece records documented facts and allegations attributed to their authors. The mention of an allegation does not imply its truth, and the position of the person named is recorded in each case. Bajo Lupa Digital offers Jorge Glas space to respond and will update the text with every development. Information verified as of 8 October 2026.
Investigative Journalist and Data Specialist
Mijael Galvez Aleman is an investigative journalist specializing in the auditing of public resources, the financial analysis of government management, and data journalism in the region. His work focuses on tracking budget flows, state contracts, and regulatory backgrounds to audit the exercise of power using a methodology strictly based on official documents.
At Bajo Lupa Digital, he leads database cross-referencing and documentary verification for in-depth reports. His work ensures that each investigation is fortified by rigorous quantitative and qualitative analysis, offering readers a transparent, verifiable perspective free from political speculation.