Your criminal defense, in specialist hands.

Highly specialized criminal representation, with the strategy and discretion your case demands.

  • 100% focused on criminal law
  • +25 years of experience
  • Absolute confidentiality
  • Nationwide coverage

Our principles

Loyalty · Strength · Strategy

That continuity —not the number of practice areas— is what sustains a strategy of defense or prosecution. When your liberty is at stake, specialisation is not a luxury: it is the difference.

Loyalty Your cause is ours. We defend your liberty and your name with absolute commitment and total confidentiality.
Strength Over 25 years of criminal litigation and proven experience in the country’s most complex and publicly exposed matters.
Strategy Every case demands its own course. We design your defense with technical precision and a long-term view.
+25
Years of criminal litigation
+700
Clients represented
100%
Exclusive focus on criminal law
Nationwide
Practice across the country

Our Team

The lawyers behind your defense.

Dr. Mario Andrade Gagliardo
Dr. Mario Andrade GagliardoPartner
Abg. Sebastián Andrade Yánez
Abg. Sebastián Andrade YánezPartner

Strategic litigation, criminal law doctrine and senior public-office experience, brought together in a single team.

Notable cases

Some of the proceedings we have taken on.

These are only some of the matters of high complexity and public exposure in which our lawyers have been involved throughout their careers, at the firm and in earlier stages of their practice.

01 Sinohydro Case Bribery

One of the largest corruption proceedings investigated in the country. The inquiry centred on the contracting of the Coca Codo Sinclair hydroelectric project and on an alleged structure said to have operated for nearly a decade, with payments that —according to the prosecution theory— would have reached around 4% of the contracted value, channelled through third parties by means of purported consultancy and representation services.

A matter of this nature requires the analysis of thousands of pages, documentary, accounting and financial evidence, technical expert reports and international criminal assistance. Our involvement focused on the technical defense and on building a theory of the case capable of withstanding every procedural stage, handled discreetly amid constant media coverage.

Matter
Bribery
Role
Technical defense
02 Zoila Suárez Case Extrajudicial execution

A proceeding of wide public repercussion, still ongoing after several years of litigation, examining the conduct of police officers who took part in an operation. The firm assumed the technical defense of a General of the National Police, whose presumption of innocence remains fully intact.

Defending a senior police commander requires drawing a precise line between the lawful exercise of public duties and criminally relevant conduct: the analysis of the objective duty of care, the chain of command and the position of guarantor is decisive. Faced with sustained media pressure, our work rests on doctrinal rigour, expert evidence and the unwavering defense of due process.

Matter
Extrajudicial execution
Role
Technical defense
Status
Ongoing
03 Defense of a national broadcaster Media

Our lawyers undertook the criminal defense of one of the country’s longest-standing national television networks, in a matter where the client’s public profile turned every procedural step into news. Defending a media outlet means understanding that, beyond the proceeding itself, its credibility — the most valuable asset of any news organisation — is at stake.

The strategy combined procedural rigour with absolutely discreet communications management, simultaneously protecting the network’s legal position, its daily operation and its standing before the audience.

Matter
Corporate criminal defense
Complexity
High media exposure
Role
Technical defense
04 Conviction for child sexual abuse material Victim representation

On the victims’ side: we took on the private prosecution in a proceeding for the commercialisation of child sexual abuse material, one of the gravest offenses in the criminal catalogue, and drove it forward until securing a conviction and the imprisonment of the offender.

Securing a conviction in this field demands impeccable handling of digital evidence and the chain of custody, together with absolute protection of the victims’ identity and dignity throughout the proceeding.

Matter
Commercialisation of child sexual abuse material
Outcome
Conviction and imprisonment
Role
Private prosecution · on the victims’ side

Our Clients

Some of our clients.

We defend individuals and legal entities alike: National Police officers — on active and passive duty —, public officials and elected authorities, and companies that entrust their criminal-law matters to the firm.

Criminal defense for police officers in Ecuador — active and passive duty
Criminal defense of National Police officers, on active and passive duty.
Criminal defense of public officials and elected authorities in Ecuador
Criminal defense of public officials and popularly elected authorities.

Strategic Alliances

Are you a lawyer or a firm? Let us build an alliance.

No client should have to leave your firm over a criminal matter. We take on the practice area your firm does not litigate, with the technical standard your clients expect of you.

About the alliance

Ways we intervene

Confidential technical opinion Internal investigation Co-counsel Full defense of the proceeding
Your clients, in expert handsTop-level criminal defense for the cases you do not litigate.
Your relationship intactThe client remains yours; we resolve the criminal matter.
Absolute confidentialityTotal professional secrecy in every case.

Frequently asked questions

Clear answers, before you decide.

How much does a criminal defense cost?

There is a widespread idea that a criminal defense is always expensive. A defense of excellence does not have to be: every case is different, and fees should reflect that reality. Before discussing figures, we analyse your situation, the case you face, the procedural stage, the penalty at stake and the complexity of the evidence; on that basis we agree with you on a clear, proportional fee structure. We accept all credit cards.

I received notice from the Prosecutor’s Office to give a statement. What should I do?

First: call a lawyer you trust before appearing. Even if you have been summoned merely as a witness, a poorly given statement can tie you to the investigation as a suspect. Not appearing is no way out either: after repeated absences, you may be detained by the National Police and brought in to give it. Always appear prepared and accompanied by your defense counsel.

Is filing a complaint with the Prosecutor’s Office enough?

No. An average prosecutor’s office receives around 6,000 complaints a year: without someone driving the case forward, yours is just one more in the pile. Without follow-up, the procedural steps needed to prove the reported facts are never requested, and the investigation may end up shelved. The complaint is only the beginning; the outcome depends on the procedural work that follows.

Do you handle cases outside Quito?

Yes. We are based in Quito, but we act throughout the country: we litigate before prosecutors’ offices, judicial units and courts in any province of Ecuador, with the same dedication and absolute discretion.

Contact

Let's talk about your case.

Strictly confidential attention.

WhatsApp+593 99 834 9985 Emailinfo@treuabogados.com
ServiceBy appointment · Nationwide coverage
We accept all credit cards
  • Visa
  • Mastercard
  • American Express
  • Diners Club