Ecuador opposition leader Luisa González arrested over campaign finance allegations
Luisa González, runner-up to Daniel Noboa in Ecuador's last two presidential elections, has been arrested over alleged irregularities in her 2023 campaign financing; her party calls the arrest politically motivated.
Ecuadorian opposition leader Luisa González was arrested on Thursday as part of an investigation into alleged irregularities in the financing of her 2023 presidential campaign, the head of her party said.
Gabriela Rivadeneira, president of the Citizen Revolution movement, confirmed the detention on social media and called it politically motivated, demanding González’s immediate release. Local media reported that González was detained in Canuto, a rural town in western Ecuador.
González, a protégée of former president Rafael Correa, was runner-up to President Daniel Noboa in both the 2023 and 2025 elections. Ecuador’s attorney general’s office said seven people are under investigation over “inconsistencies in the contributions and the lawful source of the funds” during the 2023 campaign, and that three people have been arrested so far on suspected money laundering charges.
Investigators are examining the alleged use of a network of legal entities to channel roughly $500,000 for campaign advertising between May and August 2023, without disclosing the source of the money or the identity of contributors.
González described the accusation as “absurd” in a post on X, calling on her supporters to unite against what she termed the “Noboa dictatorship”. Correa said: “This is not about legality, or whether the rules are being followed or not. It is brutal and simple persecution.”
The investigation, known as the Laberinto case, follows an earlier probe into claims that funds brought from Venezuela were used to finance her 2023 bid. González has denied wrongdoing.
Sources:
- Reuters (Alexandra Valencia, Quito): https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/international/3996630-ecuadorean-opposition-leader-gonzalez-arrested-over-campaign-finance-allegations?amp and https://katcountry989.com/2026/10/22/former-presidential-candidate-gonzalez-arrested-in-ecuador/
- Al Jazeera: https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2026/10/22/ecuador-opposition-leader-luisa-gonzalez-arrested-in-campaign-finance-probe
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