How a Serbian Drug Case Toppled Ecuador’s Judiciary Chief

Mario Godoy tried to outrun the vote. On Wednesday morning, the president of Ecuador‘s Judiciary Council — the body that administers and disciplines the country’s courts — posted his resignation on X, barely an hour before the National Assembly convened to impeach him. It didn’t work.

By that afternoon, 148 of 149 lawmakers present voted to censure and remove him for “manifest negligence” in office. Only one abstained. The near-unanimous result banned Godoy from holding any public position for two years.

The narco connection

The impeachment was driven by five lawmakers from the opposition Revolución Ciudadana bloc but ultimately backed by President Daniel Noboa‘s ruling party, Acción Democrática Nacional. The Oversight Commission approved the impeachment report unanimously on February 13, and both major blocs had signaled they would vote to remove him.

At the center of the case was anti-corruption judge Carlos Serrano. He reported that Henry Gaibor, Godoy’s provincial director for the Judiciary Council in Pichincha, pressured him to issue a favorable ruling for Serbian national Jezdimir Srdan in a money laundering case known as “Euro 2024.” Audio recordings of the pressure became public.

The accusations went further. Godoy’s wife, Dolores Vintimilla, had served as Srdan’s defense lawyer in pre-trial stages — creating what lawmakers called a clear conflict of interest. Godoy maintained the legal work predated his appointment, but investigators found court notifications dated after he took office.

Resignation without defense

In his resignation letter, addressed to the Citizens’ Participation Council and Assembly president Niels Olsen, Godoy blamed partisan interests for overriding institutional planning. He did not name any political party. He did not attend the Assembly to mount his three-hour defense.

Under Ecuadorian law, resignation does not stop impeachment proceedings. It converts the outcome from removal to censure with a two-year ban on public office — the same practical effect, minus the formal dismissal from a post already vacated.

What comes next

Damián Larco, a former tax agency director, was named interim head of the Judiciary Council. The Citizens’ Participation Council is already assembling a shortlist for Godoy’s permanent replacement.

Assembly president Olsen framed the outcome in institutional terms. But both ADN and Revolución Ciudadana rushed to claim credit — each accusing the other of initially trying to shield Godoy. The real winner may be neither party but a judiciary that, for once, saw accountability applied to those who oversee it. This is part of The Rio Times’ daily coverage of Ecuador affairs and Latin American financial news.

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