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Ecuador campaign finance investigation

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2026-10-26 03:26 UTC → 2026-10-26 14:38 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Ecuadorian authorities have detained former presidential candidate Luisa González in the Manabí province as part of an investigation known as ‘Caso Laberinto’. The Prosecutor’s Office is examining alleged money laundering and irregularities concerning the financing and advertising expenditures of her 2023 presidential campaign. Investigators are looking into approximately $500,000 to $725,000 in undeclared funds that may have been channeled through shell companies. Some allegations suggest these resources could be linked to illegal hydrocarbon commercialization or transfers from Venezuela. This follows a previous inquiry, ‘Caso Caja Chica’, which investigated potential cash inflows from Venezuela to fund the González-Arauz campaign. Authorities are also investigating potential links to companies associated with Guayaquil Mayor Aquiles Alvarez. Judge Henry Navarrete Vélez has ordered preventive detention for González, former assemblyman Santiago Díaz, and Wendy Onofre. Estefanía Molina, a campaign assistant, received alternative measures including an electronic bracelet, a travel ban, and requirements to report periodically to authorities due to family caregiving responsibilities. Following her arrest on October 22, 2026, González was transferred via military and police escort to the Riobamba prison in Chimborazo province. Members of the Revolución Ciudadana movement, including prominent figure Ricardo Patiño, have reported being unable to establish contact with her since her transfer. Her legal team has characterized the proceedings as a ‘state hunt’ and a form of selective political prosecution intended to neutralize her electoral influence. The detentions have intensified political tensions. The Revolución Ciudadana party and international groups, such as Colombia’s Pacto Histórico, the International Democratic Federation of Women, the Grupo de Puebla, and former Colombian presidents Gustavo Petro and Ernesto Samper, have characterized the investigation as ‘political persecution’ or ‘lawfare’ by President Daniel Noboa’s administration. Conversely, President Noboa has accused former Colombian President Gustavo Petro of having links to the money laundering structures under investigation.

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