Vamos Coalition Leader Accuses Deputy of Fleeing Ethics Probe

Vamos coalition president Juan Diego Vásquez has accused lawmaker Paulette Thomas of fleeing an internal ethics investigation after her irrevocable resignation. Vásquez stated that while Thomas may avoid accountability within the party, the public will demand it in 2029, emphasizing that betrayal never makes one a victim.

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I deeply regret Deputy Thomas's decision to flee the Vamos ethics process. She will not be held accountable by the team that brought her to the Assembly, but in 2029 she will not escape the accountability that the people will demand of her. He who betrays is NEVER a victim. God bless her.

Thomas announced her departure from the coalition on Thursday, August 27, after claiming that the 15-day period for the preliminary investigation had passed without any communication from the party's leadership or ethics committee. This move leaves the Vamos coalition with 14 deputies in the National Assembly.

The head of the Vamos bloc, Jorge González, suggested that Thomas had already intended to leave the party. He indicated that if she had wished to remain, she would have inquired about the status of her review. González also connected the dispute to the election for the presidency of the Education Commission, where he stated Thomas did not support the coalition's chosen candidate.

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I think that at the end of the day she already kind of wanted to leave, I mean, we are not the ones to stop her.

Thomas had previously been suspended from the Vamos bloc on July 26, following Vásquez's request. The suspension stemmed from her alternate's vote in favor of Lilia Batista of Realizando Metas (RM) for the presidency of the Education, Culture, and Sports Commission. Her alternate, Edilberto Guerrero, also voted for Gertrudis Rodríguez of Cambio Democrático, helping her secure the vice-presidency of the commission.

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Because if she had wanted to belong to us, I think she would have called and asked what is happening, how is the time of our, of her review, rather, going.