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🇪🇨 Ecuador /Crime & Justice

Guayaquil Mayor Aquiles Alvarez investigated in money laundering case

From El Comercio · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Official statement Under investigation
  • Prosecutors are investigating Mayor Aquiles Alvarez of Guayaquil for alleged money laundering, linked to former municipal official Navila D.B. and her brothers.
  • The investigation centers on over $1.2 million in financial transactions and 18 international trips between 2020 and March 2026.
  • Navila D.B. is missing, while her brothers face pre-trial detention and asset freezes as the probe into alleged illicit enrichment and tax fraud continues.

Guayaquil Mayor Aquiles Alvarez is under investigation for alleged money laundering in a case dubbed 'La Reina,' as detailed by the Prosecutor's Office on August 24, 2026. The probe also involves Navila D.B., a former municipal official and beauty queen, along with her brothers David and Farid D.B.

The Prosecutor's Office is investigating financial movements exceeding $1.2 million and 18 trips abroad that could constitute a family scheme for money laundering, in which Aquiles Alvarez would be involved through a company.

— Prosecutor's OfficeDetails of the 'La Reina' case investigation involving Guayaquil's mayor.

The investigation focuses on financial movements exceeding $1.2 million and 18 trips abroad between 2020 and March 2026. Prosecutors suspect a family scheme involving money laundering, with Alvarez allegedly implicated through a company. The case originated from an unusual and unjustified financial operations report by the Financial and Economic Analysis Unit (UAFE).

The analysis covers financial operations between 2020 and March 2026, related to Navila D.B. and her brothers... for $1,293,016.29.

— Prosecutor's OfficeSpecific financial figures under investigation in the money laundering probe.

Analysis of financial operations involving Navila D.B. and her brothers revealed transactions totaling $1,293,016.29. The probe identified a potential increase in their financial activities after Navila D.B. joined the Guayaquil Municipality's Directorate of Special Events in May 2023. She allegedly received funds from Mayor Alvarez via Ternape Petroleoum S.A., while her brothers are accused of moving and injecting resources under scrutiny for money laundering.

Navila D. B. allegedly received resources from the Mayor of Guayaquil, Aquiles Alvarez, through Ternape Petroleoum S. A.

— Prosecutor's OfficeAlleged connection between the mayor and the former municipal official.

Authorities executed arrest warrants and searches on August 5, 2026. Navila D.B. could not be located. Her brothers, David Aaron and Farid Antuan, were placed in pre-trial detention by Judge Jairo García. Additionally, their bank accounts were frozen, with David Aaron's frozen at $94,598 and Farid Antuan's at $21,176. The fiscal instruction period for the case is set for 90 days, with investigations also examining potential tax fraud and illicit enrichment.

Her brothers allegedly mobilized and injected resources that the Prosecutor's Office is investigating for alleged money laundering.

— Prosecutor's OfficeThe role of Navila D.B.'s brothers in the alleged financial scheme.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El Comercio in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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