Noboa accuses Petro of being part of drug trafficking network dismantled in Ecuador
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa pointed to former Colombian President Gustavo Petro as part of a drug trafficking and money laundering structure. The accusation emerged following the detention of former candidate Luisa González.
Noboa links Petro to drug trafficking network amid diplomatic tension
Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa stated that Ecuadorian authorities are "dismantling a large structure of drug trafficking and money laundering that includes former Colombian President Gustavo Petro", according to tuperiodico.soy. He made the statements to Colombian magazine Semana in response to criticism from the left-wing former leader following the detention of former Ecuadorian presidential candidate Luisa González.
Petro had posted on social media—citing a publication by former Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa about González's detention—that "a true dictatorship is developing in Ecuador, which begins with electoral fraud". The former Colombian leader also maintained that "the so-called shield is not a shield against drug trafficking, but a shield against democracy".
Hours later, Noboa responded directly: Petro "loses his mind and makes comments like this" precisely because Ecuador is dismantling that network in which, according to the Ecuadorian leader, the former Colombian politician would be involved.
González's detention and the Laberinto case
Luisa González's detention was initially reported by Correa and later confirmed by the politician herself. The Ecuadorian Public Prosecutor's Office indicated that police authorities carried out detention orders in the provinces of Pichincha and Manabí "against three people investigated for their alleged participation in the crime of money laundering", although seven are being investigated in the case.
The institution is investigating "alleged irregularities in political financing and electoral spending on advertising during the 2023 presidential campaign due to inconsistencies in contributions and the lawful origin of resources", in what is known as the Laberinto case.
The Government rules out electoral motivation
The Ecuadorian Government rejected the notion that the Public Prosecutor's action against González is motivated by the electoral period. The First Vice President of the Assembly, Esteban Torres, was categorical: "There has been a misunderstanding here of the notion that anyone in politics is sanctified. One cannot say that any investigation conducted during an electoral period is necessarily related to it".
Torres added that the executive is acting with caution: "It is a preliminary investigation and we will be watchful of the case".
The direct accusation from an incumbent president against a former leader of another country deepens political tension between Quito and Bogotá, in a context marked by judicial investigations into irregular campaign financing in Ecuador.
Source: Google News EC — Crime