Judge in Ecuador orders judges, attorneys and officials held in jail as part of corruption probe

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — A judge in Ecuador has ordered that more than a dozen suspects including judges, attorneys and government officials be held in jail while authorities investigate judicial rulings that allegedly favored criminals. The suspects were arrested Saturday following operations launched across Ecuador, with 14 of them ordered held. The judge on Sunday also ordered that the suspects’ bank accounts be frozen. The suspects join 14 other defendants accused of being members of what prosecutors say is an illegal network that sold favorable sentences, prison releases and other favors to organized crime groups.