The former Ecuadorian presidential candidate Luisa González was arrested this Thursday by the authorities of the Andean country. The news was initially revealed by former president Rafael Correa and later confirmed by the leader herself, while the Prosecutor's Office reported several arrests within a case regarding political financing and electoral spending linked to the 2023 presidential campaign.
"They arrested Luisa González. Enough already! Ecuador will overcome," wrote Correa on social media, without providing additional details about the circumstances of the arrest.
Hours later, the leading figure of Revolución Ciudadana confirmed through a statement her detention, framing it as a "political persecution" and warning that this time she is the direct affected party.
"We have reached an unsustainable situation. Noboa's dictatorship has not only led our beloved country to economic disaster, with total violence and corruption, but the attack on freedoms and political persecution are a permanent reality. The political prisoners of the dictatorship are being mistreated and tortured," she has assured.
González has expressed her gratitude for the "infinite solidarity" received, has described the accusations against her as "absurd," and has promised to respond "with the dignity of Ecuadorians who owe nothing and who are committed to achieving the freedom of Ecuador and a better future for the country."
Likewise, she has urged the internal cohesion of her organization and "all progressive forces" in the country to "achieve freedom and democracy." "Sooner or later, silence will explode in every corner of the territory and we will achieve the longed-for democracy," she added.
The Prosecutor's Office of Ecuador has indicated that police agents carried out arrest warrants in the provinces of Pichincha and Manabí "against three people investigated for their alleged participation in the crime of money laundering," without publicly specifying their identities.
From the Government, the first vice president of the Assembly, Esteban Torres, has rejected that the Prosecutor's Office's actions against González are motivated by electoral interests. "Here, the concept has been misunderstood that whoever is in politics is sanctified. It cannot be said that any investigation carried out during an electoral period is necessarily related. We are cautious, it is a preliminary investigation and we will be attentive to the case," he has stated.
Investigation into the Laberinto case
The Prosecutor's Office investigates "alleged irregularities in political financing and electoral spending on advertising during the 2023 presidential campaign due to inconsistencies in the contributions and the lawful origin of the resources," in the file known as the Laberinto case.
According to the Ecuadorian newspaper 'Primicias', the origin of the case lies in a complaint by Diana Atamaint, former president of the National Electoral Council (CNE), for an alleged electoral infraction by González when he competed for the Presidency against Noboa, for not documenting the origin of certain funds from the 2023 campaign. Although the economic sanctions were paid and the administrative file was closed, the case was subsequently referred to the Prosecutor's Office.
On June 23, the matter was transferred to the Public Ministry for an alleged crime of money laundering, in which four other people linked to González's campaign team appear as "suspects."
The defense of the former candidate and her party, Revolución Ciudadana, have reported in a statement that this is an "arbitrary and unconstitutional detention" and "a serious violation of the basic guarantees of due process and her fundamental Human Rights," claiming that they have not been informed of the "exact location where she is being held nor have they allowed access" to her lawyers.
"We hold the Government and the law enforcement institutions directly responsible for her physical, psychological integrity and her life," they have stated, accusing Daniel Noboa's Executive of an "aberrant instrumentalization" of the judicial system and, in particular, of the bodies responsible for combating organized crime.
According to the statement, "a criminal case for alleged money laundering has been hastily mounted that seeks to disguise what in strict law constitutes an alleged administrative discrepancy in campaign accounts for a minimum amount of 6,100 dollars," which they consider "an explicit act of state persecution (Lawfare) aimed at proscribing the opposition."
In light of what they qualify as a "serious democratic outrage," they demand that the authorities inform "immediately" of González's whereabouts and allow access to her legal team. Furthermore, they have indicated that they will request "urgent precautionary measures" before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (CIDH).