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9 - Judicial Corruption

The Constitutional Court of Ecuador in Comparative Perspective

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 August 2022

By
Santiago Basabe-Serrano
Edited by
Sandra Botero ,
Daniel M. Brinks  and
Ezequiel A. Gonzalez-Ocantos
Sandra Botero
Affiliation:
Universidad del Rosario, Colombia
Daniel M. Brinks
Affiliation:
University of Texas, Austin
Ezequiel A. Gonzalez-Ocantos
Affiliation:
University of Oxford
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Summary

This chapter investigates judicial corruption by illuminating the contrast between the high expectations generated by the construction of strong courts via ambitious reform efforts, and the reality of pervasive corruption within those same judicial institutions, especially where political power is concentrated. It examines the case of Ecuador, where a Constitutional Court with very broad formal powers granted by the 2008 Constitution was at one point in its history the site of corrupt exchanges between judges, lawyers and politicians. Crucially, such exchanges thrived when political power was concentrated: politicians demanded favourable decisions on specific issues and in exchange offered credible protection for judges seeking to engage in corrupt dealings with high-flying private litigants.

Keywords

Judicial corruptionProtection PactsConstitutional CourtEcuador
Type
Chapter
Information
The Limits of Judicialization
From Progress to Backlash in Latin America
 , pp. 217 - 241
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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