BOGOTÁ, Colombia — A scandal involving a Brazilian construction giant has widened with the jailing of Ecuador’s vice president as part of an investigation into accusations of bribery.

The authorities ordered Vice President Jorge Glas, 48, held in pretrial detention on Monday night and froze his assets. The case relates to Odebrecht, an international construction company, which admitted last year to playing a role in one of the world’s largest bribery rings. The case implicated governments throughout Latin America.

Mr. Glas has not been charged, but investigators have said that he is a key figure in their investigation and that they believe he worked with those accepting bribes. An uncle of Mr. Glas’s was put under house arrest in June and was transferred to a jail on Monday.

Shortly before surrendering to the authorities on Monday night, Mr. Glas released a video statement saying that he had done nothing wrong and that the accusations were motivated by politics. “Innocent people have no reason to flee,” he said. “I’m going to continue fighting from wherever they take me for the truth and for justice.”