Guayaquil mayor, detained since February, undergoes gallbladder surgery at private clinic
Aquiles Álvarez was transferred from El Encuentro prison for gallbladder surgery. His lawyer reported that postoperative recovery is progressing favourably.
Álvarez undergoes emergency surgery after transfer from maximum-security prison
According to prensa-latina.cu, Aquiles Álvarez, mayor of Guayaquil and one of the principal opponents of President Daniel Noboa, underwent surgical intervention on Friday night at a private clinic in Guayaquil, to which he was transferred from the maximum-security prison El Encuentro, in the province of Santa Elena.
His lawyer, Julio César Cueva, stated on Saturday that doctors carried out an initial postoperative assessment and determined that recovery is progressing favourably. The mayor will remain under medical observation until he completes his recovery.
The transfer was authorised after medical staff established that Álvarez required specialised care for gallbladder inflammation. Months earlier, doctors had already detected gallstones in the organ and recommended surgical intervention.
Detention since February and ongoing legal proceedings
Álvarez has been deprived of liberty since February, within the framework of several legal proceedings initiated during the current Government. His lawyers have previously questioned the conditions of detention and the medical care received; the authorities have defended his continued placement in El Encuentro on grounds of security.
The mayor faces three legal cases: the so-called Triple A, Goleada and Grillete cases. In the first, he received a first-instance sentence for alleged illegal trafficking of hydrocarbons; in the Grillete case, he was convicted of breach of a judicial order linked to an electronic surveillance device; and the Goleada case concerns an investigation into alleged money laundering. The defence has announced appeals against the judicial decisions.
Criticism from the opposition and police presence at the clinic
Legislator Melissa Zambrano, executive secretary of the Citizen Revolution, described the situation as "ruthless". "What Noboa is doing to him, with the complicity of all the people behind this Government, is ruthless, cruel and transcends even what is inhumane," Zambrano stated.
Police and military personnel were deployed outside the clinic, while supporters of the mayor gathered to express their backing.
Source: Google News EC — Crime