Mayor of Guayaquil, Aquiles Álvarez, arrested by the Prosecutor's Office whilst in office
In the early hours of 10 February, judicial authorities detained the port city's mayor Aquiles Álvarez during an investigation called 'Goleada'. This represents the second case in recent history of a municipal chief of that city arrested during his term.
Mayor of Guayaquil, Aquiles Álvarez, arrested by the Prosecutor's Office whilst in office
In the early hours of 10 February, judicial officers carried out a raid on the residence of Guayaquil's mayor, Aquiles Álvarez, proceeding with his arrest within an investigation dubbed 'Goleada'. This makes him the second local magistrate of that city to be deprived of liberty whilst occupying the Sillón de Olmedo, reviving the aftermath of previous administrations tainted by accusations of embezzlement.
The arrest of the Correísta official represents the judicial outcome of a conflict that his municipal government had been facing with the central administration led by Daniel Noboa. What began as a confrontation between branches of state escalated until it resulted in criminal proceedings against the municipal chief himself.
Álvarez, who had worked as a businessman in the hydrocarbon sector before entering politics, assumed office in 2023 as an alternative in response to public discontent. Nevertheless, his term was marked by constant friction with the Executive. Last year, the Public Ministry had already opened an investigation against him for alleged illegal activity in the commercialisation of petroleum derivatives involving his companies, in a case file called 'Triple A' being heard in the capital. In parallel, the state purchasing authority had suspended various municipal contracts due to suspicions of irregularities in the bidding process.
The 'Goleada' case constitutes a separate investigative line that creates a new scenario of turbulence for the city, whose effects remain unpredictable for the moment.
The record of Guayaquil Municipality contains similar precedents. In the early nineteen-eighties, Antonio Hanna Musse was imprisoned for an alleged anomaly in the acquisition of machinery for waste treatment, a circumstance that led to his removal. Later, the administrations of Abdalá Bucaram and his sister Elsa also took place amidst questioning. The latter's resignation occurred in 1991 following the death of two infants during a distribution of gifts from the municipal building's balcony.
The Social Christian Party assumed control in 1992 with León Febres-Cordero, beginning a period of institutional reconstruction that lasted for nearly thirty years, with Jaime Nebot as his successor until 2019. He was followed by Cynthia Viteri, whose administration proceeded under at least five formal complaints, including two for misappropriation of public funds.
The deprivation of liberty of Álvarez returns the port city to a situation of governmental unease, with its highest municipal authority under criminal proceedings whilst performing his duties.
Information obtained from Primicias
Source: Google News EC — Guayaquil