Ecuadoran prosecutors charge seven suspected masterminds in 2023 murder of presidential candidate

QUITO – Ecuador’s Prosecutor’s Office formally charged seven people on Aug 8 on suspicion of being the masterminds behind an assassination plot against a prominent presidential candidate in 2023.

Fernando Villavicencio, a legislator known for his anti-corruption investigations, was polling in second place when he was shot and killed at a campaign event in Quito 11 days before the 2023 presidential election.

Ecuador’s Prosecutor’s Office announced on social media platform X that it “charges the seven defendants as indirect perpetrators for their alleged participation in the crime of #Murder”.

Among those charged were former Interior Minister Jose Serrano, former legislator Ronny Aleaga, businessman Xavier Jordan, and four people linked with the Los Lobos Gang, including its suspected leader Wilmer Chavarria, who went by the alias “Pipo”.

Jordan, who lives in the United States, “financed and planned” the assassination, according to prosecutors.

Serrano, who served under former president Rafael Correa, is accused of providing the Los Lobos (The Wolves) gang with information about Villavicencio’s whereabouts.

Aleaga, who has been granted asylum in Venezuela, coordinated “actions to carry out the murder”, prosecutor Ana Hidalgo alleged in a filing.

Chavarria, who is facing extradition proceedings from Spain to Ecuador, allegedly planned the murder in exchange for US$1 million (S$1.3 million).

A former investigative journalist, Villavicencio reported receiving threats from organised crime groups prior to his death.

Five other people have already been sentenced in connection with the assassination, with some receiving prison terms of up to 34 years.

The suspected gunman in the attack was shot and killed by Villavicencio’s bodyguards, while six other suspects allegedly linked to the crime were killed in prison. AFP