Guayaquil mayor to face new trial in Ecuador over alleged removal of ankle monitor

A judge in Ecuador has ordered a trial for Aquiles Alvarez, the mayor of Guayaquil and a significant opposition figure to President Daniel Noboa. The case centers on the alleged manipulation and removal of an electronic ankle monitor that Alvarez was required to wear last year as part of another judicial process.

According to the prosecution, the tampering with the device was discovered on February 10, when police arrested Alvarez at his home in connection with a separate money laundering investigation, dubbed 'Goleada,' related to his family's fuel business. Prosecutors assert that Alvarez was not wearing the monitor at the time of his arrest, a claim his defense denies. However, a magistrate ordered him to be held in preventive detention during the investigation.

Judge Karen Alarcón accepted the prosecution's request, sending Alvarez to trial for the crime of non-compliance with legitimate decisions of a competent authority, an offense punishable by one to three years in prison. Alvarez, the mayor of Ecuador's most populous city, was initially ordered to wear the electronic tag in 2025 as part of an investigation into alleged illegal hydrocarbon trading and distribution, known as 'Triple A,' which is also heading to trial.

Following his February arrest, prosecutors requested a change in his measure, seeking preventive custody due to the alleged removal of the device. This decision has led to Alvarez being held at La Roca prison, a maximum-security facility established under President Noboa's initiative, inspired by El Salvador's prison model. Alvarez's legal team has announced plans to challenge the judicial decision, citing serious concerns about the judicial reasoning, legal oversight, and the admission of evidence that they argue should not have passed the preparatory hearing.

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No pedimos privilegios ni tratos diferenciados, exigimos lo que asiste a cualquier ciudadano sometido a un proceso penal: un juez imparcial, resolución motivada, contradicción efectiva, control de legalidad y respeto pleno al derecho a la defensa