National Assembly Votes 148-0 to Censure Judiciary Chief Mario Godoy After Resignation Gambit Fails, Two-Year Public Office Ban Imposed

Unanimous Censure

Ecuador's National Assembly voted 148-0 (with one abstention) to censure and dismiss Mario Godoy as president of the Consejo de la Judicatura — the governing body of Ecuador's judiciary. The vote also imposes a two-year ban on Godoy holding any public office.

The unanimous result — spanning the ruling ADN party, opposition Correísmo bloc, and independent legislators — represents one of the most decisive political trials in recent Assembly history.

Timeline of Events

Date	Event
Early February 2026	Allegations surface of Godoy pressuring anticorruption judge
February 14	Assembly announces political trial proceedings
February 18, ~9:00 AM	Godoy submits resignation letter
February 18, ~10:00 AM	Political trial begins as scheduled
February 18, ~4:00 PM	Assembly votes 148-0 to censure despite resignation
February 18	Two-year public office ban takes effect

Godoy's last-minute resignation — submitted approximately one hour before the trial was scheduled to begin — was widely interpreted as an attempt to preempt the censure vote and preserve his eligibility for future public appointments. The Assembly's decision to proceed regardless sets a precedent that resignation does not shield officials from accountability.

Allegations

The political trial centered on two primary charges:

1. Manifest Negligence

• Failure to address systemic corruption within the judiciary
• Inadequate oversight of judicial appointments and disciplinary processes
• Neglect of institutional modernization commitments

2. Judicial Interference

• Alleged pressure on an anticorruption judge to issue a favorable ruling for a detained Serbian narcotrafficker
• The specific case involved a criminal proceeding in Quito where the defendant sought pretrial release
• Legislators cited evidence of phone communications between Godoy's office and the presiding judge

Cross-Party Consensus

Political Bloc	Votes to Censure	Context
ADN (ruling party)	Full support	Noboa government distanced itself from Godoy
Correísmo	Full support	Opposition seized on judicial corruption narrative
PSC	Full support	Aligned with institutional accountability
Independents	Full support	Single abstention, no votes against

The 148-0 result is remarkable in Ecuador's typically fractured political landscape, where even consensus legislation rarely achieves more than 90-100 votes. The unanimity suggests the evidence presented during the trial was considered overwhelming.

Impact on Judiciary Governance

The Consejo de la Judicatura oversees Ecuador's entire judicial branch, including:

Function	Scope
Judge appointments	~2,200 judges nationwide
Disciplinary proceedings	Investigations of judicial misconduct
Court administration	Budget allocation, infrastructure
Judicial training	National School of the Judiciary
Technology	Digital case management systems

Godoy's removal creates a leadership vacuum at a critical moment. Ecuador's judiciary faces enormous pressure from the security crisis — with 150,000 people detained under the ongoing internal armed conflict but only 10,000 processed through the courts, according to President Noboa's own assessment. The judicial backlog represents a direct threat to both security outcomes and investor confidence in the rule of law.

Business Environment Implications

Judiciary governance directly affects Ecuador's investment climate through several channels:

Channel	Impact
Contract enforcement	International arbitration clauses remain standard due to weak domestic courts
Mining/energy permits	Environmental and concession disputes bottleneck in judicial system
Anti-money laundering	Judicial capacity constrains prosecution of financial crimes
Property rights	Title disputes and expropriation cases face multi-year delays
Regulatory certainty	Constitutional challenges to economic laws depend on judicial independence

The World Bank's Doing Business indicators (now B-READY) have consistently flagged Ecuador's judicial efficiency as a constraint on the business environment, particularly regarding enforcing contracts and resolving insolvency.

Broader Institutional Context

Godoy's censure follows a series of institutional accountability actions in early 2026:

• Guayaquil Mayor Aquiles Alvarez arrested on organized crime charges (February 10)
• SNAI prison director replaced following prison death crisis
• Mining regulatory crackdown with operations suspended in three provinces
• National Assembly asserting oversight authority across multiple agencies

Whether these actions represent genuine institutional strengthening or politically motivated targeting remains debated among analysts. Critics note that several targets — including Mayor Alvarez — are political opponents of President Noboa.

What to Watch

Track the appointment of Godoy's successor — the new Judicatura president will inherit the judicial backlog crisis and ongoing reform agenda. Monitor the judicial processing rate — the gap between 150,000 detained and 10,000 processed represents a constitutional and human rights liability. Watch for international assessments — the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and international rating agencies will evaluate whether the censure strengthens or disrupts judicial independence. Track foreign investment sentiment — judicial governance quality is a key input in sovereign risk assessments, and the resolution of this crisis could move the needle on rule-of-law indicators.

Sources: Primicias, El Universo