Guayaquil mayor needs urgent surgery due to gallstones, lawyer claims

Guayaquil Mayor Aquiles Álvarez is reportedly in poor health and requires an urgent operation, according to his lawyer, David Norero. Norero stated that the mayor needs surgery to remove two gallstones, emphasizing that Álvarez's health is currently at risk.

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The mayor's health is not the best… he is going to have to be operated on.

Norero revealed that Álvarez has lost 65 pounds, bringing his current weight to 185 pounds from an initial 250 pounds. "The mayor's health is not the best... he is going to have to be operated on," Norero announced during a press conference. The lawyer asserted he possesses medical exams confirming the gallstones and warned that a failure to operate could lead to pancreatitis, a condition he noted has caused a death at the "Cárcel del Encuentro" detention center.

Responding to statements from Interior Minister John Reimberg, who suggested Álvarez was refusing food to manage his weight, Norero expressed anger. "It bothers me that he says we suggested the mayor not eat... I hold Minister John Reimberg and President Daniel Noboa responsible for the mayor's life," Norero stated.

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It bothers me that he says we suggested the mayor not eat… I hold Minister John Reimberg and President Daniel Noboa responsible for the mayor's life.

The mayor's defense team maintains that Álvarez's detention is illegal and politically motivated. He has been in custody since February 10, and detained at the "Cárcel del Encuentro" since March 8, 2026, following a pre-trial detention order related to the "Caso Goleada." Norero plans to argue before the Guayaquil Cantonal Council that the grounds for the mayor's removal from office are not met, as stipulated in Article 333 of the Cootad law.

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Presumption of innocence is intact, but it can be seen that it is political persecution.