Nicole Bermúdez resigns ahead of Aquiles Álvarez mayor trial

Nicole Dixiana Bermúdez Peña voluntarily left her position at the Municipal Transit, Mobility and Citizen Surveillance Agency (ATV) in Samborondón on 17 July 2026, one day after the Triple A criminal case tribunal summoned her to testify in the trial of Guayaquil mayor Aquiles Álvarez. On 21 July, ATV’s head of Human Talent, Rosa Burgos Sellán, officially notified the court that Bermúdez was no longer an employee.

Bermúdez, previously praised by President Daniel Noboa’s administration as a “brave woman” for denouncing the mayor, later claimed she was pressured by senior officials—including former Public Integrity Secretary José Julio Neira and José Manuel de Oliveira—to expand the charges and add organized‑crime allegations. Her absence at the crucial evidence‑presentation phase has been contested: the defense of at least five defendants, including Álvarez, argues her testimony is essential to challenge the original complaint, while the Hydrocarbons Regulation Agency deems it irrelevant. Consequently, the Penal Guarantees Tribunal ordered the National Police to locate and, if necessary, forcibly bring Bermúdez to the hearing scheduled for 2 August 2026.