On December 4, the Citizens’ Participation Committee began studying a bill on in rem forfeiture to recover assets originating from illegal activities. The committee is expected to continue studying the bill in the coming weeks.

This afternoon’s meeting was attended by the author of the bill, Assemblyman Fabricio Villamar (Independent), who said that the regulation could become a tool in the fight against corruption and organized crime.

Villamar stated that the aim of the proposal is to provide for asset recovery in the following cases: 

• Goods derived from illicit activities (directly or indirectly),
• Goods corresponding to the material object of the illicit activity,
• Goods which have been used as a means or instrument for the execution of illicit activities,
• Goods that form part of an ‘unjustified increase in assets’ and are suspected of originating from illegal activities.

The draft proposes that in these situations, the State could take possession of those assets when they are in Ecuadorian territory, although when they are located abroad, possession would be subject to international cooperation agreements.

After Villamar’s comments, Assemblywoman Elizabeth Cabezas (Alianza País – ruling party) said it is necessary to identify common mechanisms to speed up the recovery of assets obtained through acts of corruption.