José Walther Manrique arrested in Spain in relation to Ecuador blackout case
Interpol Spain arrested José Walther Manrique Suárez, identified as a Progen operator in Ecuador and linked to alleged embezzlement of more than 104 million dollars.
Arrest in Spain of alleged co-author in Progen case
José Walther Manrique Suárez was arrested on 30 September in Spain by Interpol, according to eltelegrafo.com.ec. A preventive detention order weighs against him in the blackout case, an investigation examining alleged embezzlement related to electricity generation contracts awarded during the 2024 energy crisis.
Interior Minister John Reimberg confirmed that the arrest was carried out by Interpol Spain. Manrique is the husband of Karla Saud Calero, who is also listed as a defendant in the same case.
Profile of the detainee
Manrique was born on 14 April 1979 in Jipijapa, Manabí. He is an engineer and has registered economic activity with the Internal Revenue Service (SRI) since November 2017. He entered into a civil marriage with Karla Saud on 2 April 2026, when the investigation into Progen contracts was already underway.
He was formally linked to the criminal proceedings on 24 August 2026. The Public Prosecutor's Office identifies him as an alleged co-author of the embezzlement offence and requested his preventive detention and international location.
Role in Progen Industries
According to the Public Prosecutor's Office investigation, Manrique allegedly acted as logistics coordinator for Progen Industries LLC in Ecuador. Among his functions, he allegedly organised visits by Ecuadorian authorities to the company's factories in the United States.
An email from Progen's vice president, dated 6 September 2024, allegedly identified Manrique and his team as official representatives of the company and as the contact channel with Ecuador's Electrical Corporation (Celec).
Contracts under investigation
The case examines contracts that Celec signed with Progen to incorporate electricity generation during the 2024 crisis. The Public Prosecutor's Office contends that the contracting related to the Salitral and Quevedo power plants allegedly caused harm exceeding 104 million dollars to the State. Among the elements of the prosecution's case is the allegation that generators were delivered that were not new and did not comply with the agreed technical conditions. These assertions form part of a criminal investigation and are still to be determined judicially.
Progen ceded operational control of the Salitral and Quevedo projects to Astrobryxa through a contract worth 38.5 million dollars, which is the subject of another legal dispute.
Inspection and reconditioned engines
One of the additional allegations by the Public Prosecutor's Office points to Manrique allegedly preventing it from being recorded during an inspection that certain engines were from 2009 and had been reconditioned, despite having been marketed as new.
Request for political asylum in Spain
Before the arrest became known, the defence of Astrobryxa informed a federal court in Florida that Manrique and Saud had requested political asylum in Spain. The request was revealed in September 2026 within a civil proceeding brought by Celec in the United States. The defence alleged that both faced media pressure, political and judicial pressure in Ecuador and that they were victims of threats. These arguments correspond to the position of their defence and have not been validated judicially.
Source: Google News EC — Crime