Former Manabí Judge Sentenced to Prison and Fined $2 Million for Prevarication

A former judge from Manabí, Ecuador, has been handed a five-year prison sentence for prevarication, a severe judicial offense involving making unjust decisions. Gina Marisol Zambrano, formerly of the Unitary Judicial Unit of Montecristi, will also pay a substantial $2 million in compensation to the Council of the Judiciary.

The conviction stems from Zambrano's decision to release two individuals who were serving sentences for femicide. The Provincial Court of Justice of Manabí found Zambrano guilty as the direct perpetrator of the crime. In addition to the prison term and financial penalty, she faces a fine and disqualification from practicing her profession for six months.

The investigation into Zambrano's actions was initiated by the Prosecutor's Office in March 2023. It gained momentum after she ordered the release of the two femicide convicts from the El Turi Social Rehabilitation Center. Zambrano had been a fugitive since May 2026, when she was deported from the United States, allowing the judicial process to resume.