Luisa Gonzalez detained in Ecuador over 2023 campaign funding inquiry

Ecuadorian opposition figure Luisa Gonzalez was detained on Thursday amid an ongoing judicial inquiry into alleged money laundering connected to her 2023 bid for the presidency, according to local authorities and media reports.

The prominent leftist politician, who aligns closely with former President Rafael Correa, was taken into custody in the western rural community of Canuto. She previously ran for head of state against current conservative President Daniel Noboa, losing both the 2023 election and a subsequent race in 2025.

According to a public statement released by the Attorney General's Office, law enforcement officers carried out arrest warrants targeting three individuals in relation to suspected money laundering operations. The broader inquiry, designated by authorities as the Laberinto case, focuses on seven people suspected of being tied to suspicious financial contributions and unresolved origins of funding used during the 2023 campaign cycle.

Prosecutors suspect that a network of various entities was utilized to route roughly $500,000 destined for promotional materials and advertising between May and August of that year. Investigators allege these transactions were executed irregularly, failing to report where the money originated or who provided the capital. The matter follows prior inquiries regarding claims of foreign funding entering the campaign from Venezuela, allegations that Gonzalez has consistently rejected.

Reacting to her detention on social media, Gonzalez labeled the claims completely absurd and stated that she was effectively being held as a political prisoner. She urged citizens to stand together to defend democratic processes against what she termed the Noboa dictatorship, asserting that she would face the legal measures with clear conscience and dignity.

Senior figures from Gonzalez's party, the Citizen Revolution Movement, swiftly condemned the state's actions. Party president Gabriela Rivadeneira asserted that the detention constitutes political targeting and demanded Gonzalez be freed without delay. Rafael Correa, who led Ecuador from 2007 until 2017, similarly condemned the legal action against his political ally, posting online that the investigation amounts to blatant persecution.

The development follows protracted friction between Noboa and the political opposition. During their April 2025 presidential runoff, Noboa secured victory with over 55 percent of the vote, a contest Gonzalez dismissed as fraudulent while calling for a recount. In turn, Noboa's administration has claimed her movement maintained connections to organized crime factions seeking to harm the president. The arrest also comes just weeks before scheduled local balloting on November 29, an election from which Gonzalez's political movement was barred from competing earlier this year.