Pretrial detention ordered for Correísta prefect over alleged illicit enrichment

An Ecuadorian court ordered pretrial detention for Johana Núñez, the prefect of Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, over alleged illicit enrichment. The court also ordered the retention of $309,646 and prohibited the sale or transfer of her assets.

Núñez reached the prefecture through an alliance between the Correísta Citizens’ Revolution movement and a local political group. Rafael Correa, who led Ecuador from 2007 to 2017 and remains the movement’s leader, condemned the decision in an initial reaction on X. “The abuse that has occurred in recent years in the use of pretrial detention, a measure of last resort because it amounts to a kind of advance sentence, is astonishing. Clearly, the aim is not justice but political ends,” he wrote.

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The abuse that has occurred in recent years in the use of pretrial detention, a measure of last resort because it amounts to a kind of advance sentence, is astonishing. Clearly, the aim is not justice but political ends.

Citizens’ Revolution backed Núñez last Thursday, calling the case “a new episode of persecution.” The movement said she had publicly reported an alleged intimidation campaign targeting her, her family and her aides. It said she had warned that people were trying to frighten her and that she would not allow fear to influence her decisions.

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a new episode of persecution

The movement also stressed that prosecutors had only filed charges and sought pretrial detention in a process “that has barely begun and in which there is no sentence.” It said the similarity between Núñez’s case and those of other opposition officials who are now imprisoned was too serious to ignore.

The article points to the imprisoned mayor of Guayaquil, Aquiles Alvarez, as one of the most prominent cases for Correísmo. Alvarez received a first-instance sentence of six years and eight months on Aug. 29 in the Triple A case, and also has a three-year prison sentence for failing to wear an electronic ankle monitor imposed as a precautionary measure. He remains in pretrial detention and faces proceedings in cases involving alleged illegal fuel sales, the monitoring device and suspected money laundering.

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that has barely begun and in which there is no sentence