Lasso's impeachment trial goes to the Constitutional Court.
The Ecuadorian president is being investigated for an alleged corruption scheme involving state-owned companies.
HispanTV - The Legislative Administration Council (CAL), the highest body of Ecuador's legislative administration, approved on Friday the impeachment request against President Guillermo Lasso with five votes in favor and two against, as announced by Ecuador's National Assembly (AN) member Ronny Aleaga Santos via Twitter.
Thus, the request for trial against the former right-wing banker, presented by four deputies and supported by 59 signatures, will go to the Constitutional Court (CC), where it will be submitted for analysis.
If approved, the process will return to the Oversight Committee, which will have 30 days to address the case: 10 days for the president to exercise their right to defense; another 10 days for conducting tests; and a further 10 days for preparing the report.
If the report passes, the President of the National Assembly convenes the plenary session to proceed with... criminal actionDuring the session, the president has the right to defend himself and to approve the motion of censure, which must be obtained by a qualified majority (92 votes).
In early March, the Extraordinary Special Commission on Truth, Justice and Combating Corruption of the National Assembly, which is investigating an alleged corruption scheme in public companies, approved a report recommending an impeachment trial against the president.
Subsequently, the plenary session of Parliament supported the report, with 104 votes in favor, 18 against, and three abstentions. Deputy Viviana Veloz, president of the Extraordinary Commission, denounced during the session Lasso's involvement in crimes against public administration and state security, and therefore requested a due process against the head of state.
Veloz, from the party of former president Rafael Correa, explained that the accusation would be for "commission by omission," which would imply that the president, despite knowing about acts of corruption in public companies, chose to remain silent and not act to prevent the practice of crimes such as bribery and embezzlement.
Widespread efforts to prosecute Lasso, coupled with widespread disapproval of the conservative president's term, have weakened the government and led the Andean country into an uncertain future.
A new study conducted this month by the research firm Clima Social revealed that seven out of ten people in Ecuador want early elections or the removal of the head of state.