Ecuador’s Prosecutor General’s Office announced plans to charge former Vice President Jorge Glas and four others for allegedly orchestrating the 2023 assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, according to social media reports confirmed by Glas’s lawyer.
The killing of Villavicencio, a journalist and anti-corruption activist, shocked Ecuador. Gunmen shot him dead after a Quito rally, highlighting the nation’s growing violence.
Glas, already imprisoned for corruption, denies involvement. His lawyer, Sonia Vera, calls the charges political persecution, citing no evidence. The investigation also targets ex-Minister José Serrano, ex-assemblyman Ronny Aleaga, and businessmen Xavier Jordán and Daniel Salcedo.
Villavicencio’s murder, executed by Colombian hitmen, left 13 injured and exposed Ecuador’s descent into a narco-state. Villavicencio’s exposés targeted Glas and former President Rafael Correa, now exiled in Belgium after a 2020 corruption conviction.
Correa’s leftist Revolución Ciudadana party remains influential, controlling major cities despite losing the 2023 election to Daniel Noboa. The assassination shifted the vote toward Noboa’s hardline anti-crime stance, reflecting Ecuador’s security crisis.
Villavicencio Case Highlights Ecuador’s Deepening Crisis
In July 2024, courts sentenced five suspects, including Lobos gang leader Carlos Angulo, to 12-34 years for the murder. Seven Colombian suspects died in prison, raising suspicions of cover-ups.
A $200,000 bounty allegedly fueled the hit, underscoring narco-political ties. Villavicencio’s family demands answers, alleging higher-ups remain unpunished. Glas, summoned to testify on May 21, 2025, from a maximum-security prison, faces pressure to cooperate.
His 2024 arrest at Mexico’s embassy sparked a diplomatic crisis. Ecuador’s ports, vital for global trade, suffer as gang violence disrupts oil and agricultural exports, costing billions annually.
The case reveals Ecuador’s struggle with corruption and organized crime, threatening its economic stability. Investors eye the outcome, as political unrest could further deter trade.
Villavicencio’s murder, a grim milestone, signals deeper challenges for Ecuador’s democracy and business climate, with justice hanging in the balance.