Ecuadorian mayor gets 3 years for removing electronic bracelet

A court in Ecuador has sentenced Guayaquil Mayor Aquiles Alvarez to three years in prison for removing an electronic monitoring bracelet. Alvarez, already incarcerated on other charges, is a significant opposition figure to President Daniel Noboa.

The judges accepted the prosecution's request for the maximum penalty for the crime of "non-compliance with legitimate decisions of a competent authority," which carries a sentence of one to three years. This marks the first conviction for the mayor of Ecuador's most populous city. He is currently held in "La Roca" prison, a maximum-security facility built on President Noboa's initiative, inspired by El Salvador's prison model.

“

The ECM can be thought of as the skin’s natural support system. In younger skin, the ECM is dense, organised and continuously renewed.

The sentence arrives just three months before local elections on November 29 and during the candidate registration period. In addition to the prison term, Alvarez was fined the equivalent of ten basic unified salaries ($4,820) and ordered to issue a public apology through a national media outlet as a measure of comprehensive reparation.

“

With ageing, and through cumulative exposure to ultraviolet radiation, pollution, smoking and other stresses, collagen becomes fragmented and reduced, elastic fibres become disorganised, and the skin’s water-binding and repair mechanisms become less efficient. The communication between skin cells and their surrounding matrix is also impaired.

Last July, a judge mandated Alvarez wear an electronic bracelet as an alternative to pre-trial detention in a case involving alleged illegal fuel distribution and commercialization. However, the prosecution stated the bracelet was not on when he was arrested on February 10 for a separate investigation into alleged money laundering. The prosecution claims the bracelet generated over 2,000 alarms, including many for "bracelet removed" and "offline."

Alvarez's defense argued that the alerts were due to his home's location in a "dead zone" and his movements as mayor, which could trigger automatic alerts. While judges dismissed the tampering accusation due to insufficient evidence, they did conclude he was not wearing the device as ordered. His lawyer announced plans to appeal the sentence.

“

The ECM’s structure, composition and mechanical properties can influence how cells attach, migrate, communicate and participate in tissue repair.