THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Ecuador on Wednesday defended its storming of the Mexican Embassy in Quito last month, telling judges at the United Nations’ top court that it acted to take in “a common criminal” — Ecuador’s former vice president — who was holed up inside the diplomatic post.

The statement by lawyers for Ecuador was part of hearings in a case filed by Mexico at the International Court of Justice that accuses Quito of blatantly violating international treaties by storming the embassy to arrest former Vice President Jorge Glas.

The April 5 raid, hours after Mexico granted asylum to Glas, further fueled tensions that had been brewing between the two countries since the former vice president, a convicted criminal and fugitive, took refuge at the embassy in December.

Leaders across Latin America condemned the raid as a violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.