Ecuador judge bars mayor's wife from leaving country in money laundering probe

An Ecuadorian judge has issued an order preventing Fiorella Icaza, the wife of jailed Guayaquil Mayor Aquiles Alvarez, from leaving the country as part of an ongoing money laundering investigation. Alvarez is a prominent opposition figure to President Daniel Noboa.

The case, codenamed 'Goleada,' is being pursued by the Public Prosecutor's Office. It alleges that Alvarez, his two brothers, and nine other individuals operated a network that generated illicit profits through the family's fuel business. The prosecution claims that the group used fictitious companies based in Panama to unfairly profit by reselling subsidized diesel at higher international market prices, allegedly causing the state a loss of approximately $100 million.

Icaza, along with Alvarez's mother, two cousins, and nine companies, were recently implicated in the investigation. The judge ruled that Icaza must report to judicial authorities every fifteen days and has had her bank accounts frozen. Alvarez's mother, who resides in the United States, must also report bi-weekly to the Ecuadorian consulate in Miami.

Preventive detention was ordered for two cousins, while a fifth individual, an employee of one of the investigated companies, is also prohibited from leaving the country and must report periodically to the Prosecutor's Office. Alvarez and his brothers were initially imprisoned in February in connection with this case, though a court later revoked that order, deeming the prosecution's evidence insufficient. However, Alvarez remains in custody due to two other separate cases.