Judge who ordered the transfer of “Fito” in Ecuador is suspended by the country's Judicial Council

The Judicial Council of Ecuador, responsible for monitoring the actions of the country's Justice, decided to suspend, in an extraordinary session held this Tuesday (9), the Guayaquil Penitentiary Guarantees judge, Diego Poma, who was responsible for ordering the transfer of José Adolfo Macías, “Fito”, from the La Roca maximum security penitentiary to the Guayaquil regional prison, from where authorities confirmed his escape last Sunday (7).

The body's plenary considered that, with his decision, Poma violated the internal independence of Judiciary employees.

The escape of “Fito”, leader of Los Choneros, the largest criminal faction in Ecuador, triggered a series of violent actions across the country.

Macías had been placed in the La Roca maximum security prison in August last year, as part of a government operation aimed at dismantling criminal organizations operating from penitentiary establishments.

Despite the government's explicit action, Judge Poma decided to accept a request from Macías' defense and ordered that he be taken back to the Guayaquil regional prison, where, according to local media reports, he supposedly had privileges and protection.

According to information from the newspaper El Universo, President Daniel Noboa denounced that there was a leak of information that allowed Macías to escape. The head of Los Choneros had already escaped from prison once again in 2013, along with several other inmates.

According to the Ecuadorian portal First fruits, This is not the first time Judge Poma has been embroiled in controversy. He was also already being investigated by the Judicial Council for granting a parole request in August 2021 to Dritan Rexhepi, known as the “cocaine king” in Ecuador.