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🇪🇨 Ecuador /Elections & Politics

Ecuador: Minister, Villavicencio's daughters react to ex-minister Serrano's jailing

From El Comercio · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources In the courts
  • Former Ecuadorian minister José Serrano was transferred to the El Encuentro maximum-security prison after being deported from the United States.
  • Interior Minister John Reimberg and the daughters of the late Fernando Villavicencio commented on Serrano's jailing.
  • Serrano faces a pre-trial detention order in the case investigating the assassination of Villavicencio.

José Serrano, a former minister in Ecuador, arrived at the El Encuentro maximum-security prison on August 29, 2026, following his deportation from the United States. His transfer to the facility in Santa Elena has drawn reactions from key figures, including the current Interior Minister and the daughters of the assassinated presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio.

He who thought himself untouchable, ended up in El Encuentro.

— John ReimbergEcuador's Interior Minister commenting on José Serrano's imprisonment.

Serrano is subject to a pre-trial detention order in connection with the "Magnicidio FV" case, which is investigating the intellectual authorship of Fernando Villavicencio's murder on August 9, 2023, in Quito. His arrival at El Encuentro allows for the execution of this order.

Interior Minister John Reimberg publicly commented on Serrano's incarceration via his X account, stating, "He who thought himself untouchable, ended up in El Encuentro." Reimberg added, "In Ecuador, no one is above the law." His remarks followed the release of images by President Daniel Noboa showing Serrano in prison attire and with a shaved head.

In Ecuador, no one is above the law.

— John ReimbergThe Interior Minister's statement on legal accountability.

Amanda Villavicencio, one of Fernando Villavicencio's daughters, also reacted to the images of Serrano in prison, describing the situation as "unreal." She further commented on Serrano, who served as Interior Minister under the Rafael Correa administration, stating, "There is no perfect crime." Her sister, Tamia Villavicencio, had also previously spoken out about the former minister's return to Ecuador. Both sisters have publicly expressed their hope that the ongoing legal process will help clarify who ordered their father's assassination.

It seems unreal.

— Amanda VillavicencioOne of Fernando Villavicencio's daughters reacting to images of José Serrano in prison.

The National Prosecutor's Office is prosecuting Serrano, along with other individuals, for alleged direct authorship of Villavicencio's murder. A June 29, 2026, ruling by the Criminal Chamber of the Provincial Court of Pichincha rejected an appeal by Serrano and others, upholding their pre-trial detention. Judges deemed the measure appropriate, necessary, proportional, and reasonable. The prosecution's theory posits that the accused played various roles in the planning, financing, coordination, and execution of the crime. For Serrano, the fiscal thesis points to his alleged involvement in the assassination.

There is no perfect crime.

— Amanda VillavicencioVillavicencio's daughter commenting on the ongoing investigation into her father's murder.
About this summary

Originally published by El Comercio in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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