Daily coverage from across the country, written for the expat community
Results for “corruption”Clear
Police and prosecutors detained Jipijapa Mayor Angela Plua and 12 others in Operation Digitador, an investigation into alleged irregular vehicle paperwork in Manabi. Authorities said the case involved 18 raids and suspected losses above $5 million.
Ecuador’s National Transit Agency has temporarily suspended issuing driver licenses abroad while it strengthens control, verification and security procedures. The agency says the pause is tied to institutional controls after a corruption investigation earlier this year.
El Universo reports the government proposed transit-law reforms that would give the National Police control over the national road network and strengthen access to toll-road images and cantonal transit-agency information.
The Consejo de la Judicatura filed a criminal complaint with the Fiscalía General alleging a network solicited payments from judges and prosecutors to alter disciplinary reports. The institution says: 'No habrá encubrimientos.'
Ecuador's Attorney General is seeking to formally charge 21 people — including a former Celec manager and former Energy Minister — with embezzlement tied to emergency contracts during the 2024 blackout crisis. Estimated damages exceed $100 million.
Prosecutors raided CNEL offices across three provinces after the Energy Minister revealed a decade-long billing manipulation scheme affecting 400,000+ accounts. Officials allegedly cut invoices by 80% in exchange for bribes.
A 16-person fuel trafficking ring operating across six provinces since October 2024 has been dismantled. Three active-duty military members, five police officers, and eight civilians were detained. A judge has ordered preventive detention for 15 of them on charges tied to hydrocarbon diversion and support for criminal organizations.
After Colombia's President Petro asked Noboa to release former Vice President Jorge Glas during a meeting in the Galápagos, Ecuador's government pushed back hard — rejecting the 'political prisoners' framing and affirming that Glas is detained for corruption, not politics.
Ecuador's Interior Ministry reports a 28% decline in homicides for March 2026, alongside 4,300 arrests and 2,200 warrants executed. The numbers represent real progress, but the baseline is staggering: 2025 saw 9,216 homicides, making Ecuador one of the deadliest countries in Latin America.
Ecuador's state electricity company CELEC has filed a lawsuit in US federal court alleging that Progen, a private contractor, delivered refurbished and non-functional emergency generators under $149 million in contracts while draining the project's bank account to zero. The fraud is directly linked to the 2024 blackout crisis.
The two-week nightly curfew across four coastal provinces ends March 30, concluding the largest single anti-narcotics mobilization in South American history. 75,000 soldiers and police were deployed with U.S. Reaper drone support and FBI intelligence.
Jose Vinces, 44, founder of Vinces TV, was shot 10 times by two gunmen on a motorcycle after being lured to a cemetery by a fabricated tip about human remains. His microphone helped stop a bullet. The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the attack and called for investigation.
