Ecuador President accuses ex-leader Correa of defamation campaign

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa has accused former President Rafael Correa of leading a "defamation campaign" aimed at damaging his reputation and undermining democracy. Noboa's accusation, made on the social media platform X, followed the release of audio recordings allegedly involving Correa and Rodney Rengel, a protected witness in the investigation into the 2023 assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio. The government's Minister of Government, Nataly Morillo, shared fragments of the alleged audio, claiming Correa and Rengel conspired to fabricate narratives. Morillo specifically linked the alleged plot to the "Porsche case," which investigates a car bomb attack in Guayaquil and the appearance of a vehicle belonging to the Noboa family near a suspect's residence. Correa has acknowledged a virtual meeting with Rengel, stating it was primarily about Rengel's work-related issues and not the Villavicencio assassination. He asserted that Rengel approached him due to labor problems. Rengel himself testified on June 3, claiming that police officials were aware of the impending assassination of Villavicencio. The investigation into Villavicencio's murder has seen five individuals convicted as material perpetrators, while eight others involved died before trial. The prosecution is seeking to indict alleged intellectual authors, including leaders of the Los Lobos criminal gang and prominent businessmen and former politicians linked to corruption cases. A pre-trial hearing initially scheduled for June 5 was postponed due to defense appeals.