Ecuador's Fiscalía Links 10 More to 'Apagón' Case Over State Contracts

Ecuador's Fiscalía (Prosecutor's Office) has implicated 10 additional individuals in the 'Apagón' case, an ongoing investigation into alleged corruption surrounding state contracts awarded to the company Progen. This latest development expands the probe into irregularities that prosecutors claim resulted in a staggering financial loss exceeding $104 million for the state.

The new individuals linked to the case include two advisors to the former acting Minister of Energy and Mines, Roberto Luque. Others held positions in technical or legal departments within the Corporación Eléctrica de Ecuador (Celec), the state-run electricity corporation. This brings the total number of people formally linked to the 'Apagón' case to 31, following the initial charges brought against 21 individuals on May 22.

Prosecutors allege that the 21 individuals initially charged, including former Energy Minister Antonio Goncalves and ex-Celec manager Fabián Calero, bypassed public procurement procedures to favor Progen Industries LLC. The company allegedly secured contracts despite failing to meet technical specifications or fulfill contractual obligations. Two Progen officials, Andrew W. and Karla S., have also been processed as co-perpetrators and are subject to Interpol alerts for their capture.

In addition to the charges, the court has ordered the freezing of accounts and the prohibition of asset disposal for the accused. The investigation centers on emergency generation contracts for the Salitral and Quevedo power plants, awarded during Ecuador's energy crisis in 2024. The Fiscalía presented 150 pieces of evidence, leading to pre-trial detention for several key figures and house arrest with electronic monitoring for one individual who qualified for priority attention.