The return of Serrano places Ecuador ' s judicial system and rule of law under the re-establishment of accountability
Originally published Global Voices Global
A screen shot. A video on YouTube.José Serrano enters El Enquintro Prison after being deported from the United States. Notifications TV C Fair use.
After the United States immigration regime refused to grant political asylum to the former Minister of the Interior José Serrano SalgadoDeported to Ecuador under strict security measures.
Serano is faced with numerous investigations opened by the Office of the Prosecutor of Ecuador regarding his tenure as a government official under the former President. Korea RafaelIn addition to his alleged involvement as the mastermind of the assassination of a journalist and former presidential candidate, Fernando VlavicisoI'm sorry. In the last case, at the request of the Office of the Prosecutor, the judges About that. Pre-trial detention and transfer El Inquintro Prison Officially called Santa Elena Detention Centre No. 1, located in the coastal districtSaint Helen.I'm sorry.
On 7 August 2025, Serano was arrested.By the United States Department of Immigration and Customs (ICE) for violating his life sentence. He was first detained in Miami, then in a immigration detention centre in Mississippi until 28 August 2026.
Serano entered the United States in May 2021 after completing his term as a member of the National Assembly. In the same year, he applied for political asylum in the United States on 13 May 2026, Judge Rumie Lerner.He refused a request for asylum.But he gave him protection under Convention against Torture(CAT) His return date is delayed.To Ecuador.
However, he drops the investigation that she did. The New York Times. It was published on 16 August 2026, highlighting the political background of the United States Government and its allies. The report states that the deportation of Serrano occurred only in meetings. 15 minutes.High-level meetings were held between the United States Administration and Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa.
According to the New York Times, only a quarter of an hour after the take-off of the charter aircraft taking Serano to Ecuador, Announcement President Daniel Noboa, through his calculation on the X platform, near the arrival of Serano in Ecuadorian territory. The pictures show ICE agents accompanying him, his hands and feet are tied, and upon his arrival in Ecuador, He was shown wearing.A jacket and a bulletproof helmet.
Who's José Serrano?
Serano occupied many public positions in Ecuador during and after the administration of Korea. He served as Minister of the Interior from 2011 to 2016; earlier, in 2009, he was Minister of Transparency, and in 2010 he assumed the Ministry of Justice, Human Rights and Communities.
During his tenure at the Ministry of the Interior, he made remarkable achievements. And...Partner.In the overall restructuring of the police system, including the establishment of forensic laboratories for police forces, promotions for patrol cars and community police and surveillance units throughout the country.
His work against drug trafficking was particularly important, and on 6 June 2016 I've been honored before. In the Department of Drug Control (DEA) and the United States Department of Justice in Washington, for its contributions. However, it was his tenure. In the midst of a crisis of public transactionsInterlinked — inter alia — with emergency contracts, purchase of horses and dogs, renovation of police facilities, uniforms and cleaning services.
In the general elections held in Ecuador in February 2017, the majority of the members of the Assembly received a vote. As a result, hold a position. President of the National Legislative Assembly As at 9 March, 2018, Removed. After leaking a recording between him and the former state observer,Carlos Polit.Who was a fugitive in justice, The Udbrecht case.I'm sorry. This revealed political manipulation of the Ecuadorian justice system.
After completing his arbitrary dismissal (2017-2021), he left public life and settled in the United States, where he applied for political asylum before immigration courts, claiming political persecution and threats to his life.
Criminal investigation in Ecuador
Serano ' s return to his home country opens a new chapter in a profession characterized by numerous criminal investigations. The work of the Office of the Prosecutor is Follow-up on various issues: His alleged participation in the murder of Vlaviccio; complaints of abuse of influence and bribery related to the discovery that appeared during the proceedings against Polyt in the United States; allegations of attempted murder Submitted by counsel, Lugi GarciaAnd another worrying point. - What? Alleged participation In the abduction of Fernando Balda in Colombia; complaint of 2019 Allegedly, he demanded contributions.From the salaries of officials of the Ministry of the Interior.
The case is with Greater political influence In the alleged assassination of Philavisino, where the Attorney General ' s Office asserts that he may have played a role as a link and in surveillance. His defense rejects this hypothesis.He states that there is insufficient evidence to link him to the murder, and argues that the charge depends primarily on the expense of a protected witness.
After being imprisoned in El Encuentro on 28 August this year, Serano claimed, Through his X account.“He does not receive treatment compatible with human dignity in prison” — an allegation that his daughter Veronica, who has maintained The Ecuadorian State bears responsibility.On her father's life.
Government perspective
Serano ' s return quickly took a political dimension, where the Nubwa administration subsequently framed his deportation and imprisoned him as part of the enforcement of judicial decisions. When Cerano's arrival was announced, they also issued a warning to former President Korea, of Tell him.His turn will come soon.
At the same time, Minister of the Interior paid tribute to John Remberg. He mentioned that“No one above the law” and Minister Natalie Morillo praised the deportation of Serano as a triumph. Hang on to his return.The government described him as “one of the most vicious persons in the “under contract”, adding: “Something, the truth continues to emerge”.
Besides political confrontation, the issue raises a fundamental question: to what extent can a State go in pursuing serious crimes without weakening the guarantees it must recognize, even for those facing the most serious accusations? Serano ' s prison not only makes his case a test against impunity, but also a test for effective due process and the rule of law in Ecuador.
