A judge in Ecuador sent the mayor of Guayaquil, Aquiles Alvarez, one of the main opponents of President Daniel Noboa's government, to pretrial detention on Wednesday. He was arrested as part of an alleged money laundering and tax fraud scheme, in which his two brothers and eight other people are also involved.
All were arrested early Tuesday in Guayaquil, the country's most populous city and main economic engine, as part of the 'Goleada' case. In this case, the Prosecutor's Office is investigating the alleged existence of a "complex corporate structure that has corrupted officials and evaded the control of state institutions in relation to the commercialization of fuel."
Alvarez, who was elected mayor in 2023 with the support of the leftist Citizen's Revolution, the political party led by former President Rafael Correa (2007-2017), has become one of the most visible opponents of Noboa. The Correismo movement accuses Noboa of being behind a supposed "political persecution" of the mayor.
Magistrate Jairo García imposed the same measure on Alvarez's brothers, Xavier and Antonio, the latter being the president of Barcelona, Ecuador's most popular football club; and also on two other defendants.
Five other people will have to appear periodically before a court and are prohibited from leaving the country; and a final defendant will be under house arrest, according to details later provided by the Prosecutor's Office. Additionally, the judge ordered that the bank accounts of the eleven accused be frozen.
The mayor's lawyer, Ramiro García, said that the magistrate had made his decision "without any individualized analysis of the risk of flight or interference with the investigations in the process" and that preventive prison was being used "as a form of anticipatory punishment", for which he appealed the measure.
The defense attorney had said before knowing the decision that this case is based on "the same facts" for which the mayor is already linked to a judicial process called 'Triple A', in which he is investigated for an alleged commercialization and illegal distribution of hydrocarbons, related to his family's gas station business.
However, he assured that on this occasion the prosecutor had based his accusation on an expert analysis of WhatsApp conversations and on an anonymous complaint.
"This city will not tolerate any more abuses and will not renounce legality as a principle," said the now acting mayor, Tatiana Coronel.
The mayor's lawyer added: "There is not a single document that demonstrates a single act of money laundering or organized crime or even illegal fuel marketing."
In the 'Triple A' case, which is pending trial, Alvarez wears an electronic ankle bracelet and appears before a judicial authority twice a week.
Supporters of the Guayaquil mayor and members of the Correismo movement, including the mayor of Quito, Pabel Muñoz, arrived at the courthouse. Muñoz stated that requesting pretrial detention for an elected official who "has complied with his precautionary measures and is in the territory every day" is "an atrocity."
"When Justice becomes a tool of political persecution, freedom, democracy, and the basic foundations of society are put at risk," affirmed Muñoz, who also belongs to the Citizen's Revolution.
The Guayaquil Municipality also rejected the judicial decision and called for a "peaceful march" in support of Alvarez for this Thursday.
"Tomorrow we will march with peace, but with firmness."
