Accused ex-energy minister claims government ‘plays favorites’ in electric generator scandal prosecution

Former Energy Minister Antonio Goncalves said Wednesday that he “absolutely rejects” government attempts to link him to alleged corruption in the 2024 Progen electric generator purchase. Goncalves is one of 21 people being investigated for fraud and embezzlement in the case.

Progen electric generators sit unused in Quevedo. They were found to be defective and unable to connect with Ecuador’s power grid after they were delivered in late 2024.

Goncalves claims he was involved only in “first contacts” with Progen, the U.S. manufacturer of the thermal generators, during the electric blackout crisis. “Those who replaced me at the ministry, Roberto Luque and Inés Manzano, handled the negotiation and purchase of the generators,” he said. “Why are they not being investigated? It seems obvious they are being protected by the prosecutor’s office under direction of the government.”

Goncalves claims that Luque traveled to Miami and met with Progen officials while Manzano authorized the payment of $150 million without inspecting the equipment. “That money has never been recovered – it was wasted,” he says.

The purchase of the generators was negotiated and authorized by the government during the blackouts that began in October 2024. The 49 mobile generators, to be installed at generation plants in Quevedo and Salitral, would have produced 150 megawatts of electricity. However, after the equipment was delivered it was discovered that it has been previously used and defective and was not compatible with Ecuador’s power grid.

Goncalves’ rejection of his indictment is supported by several legal and energy experts. Germán Rodas, director of the National Anti-Corruption Commission, claims that there were “obviously designed omissions to protect” some officials in the Energy Ministry, including Luque and Manzano.

“Manzano turned over more than hundred million dollars for the generators without checking to see if they worked,” says Rodas. “This was a violation of basic ministry protocols, yet she has not been named in the investigation.

Rodas added that Goncalves’ name does not appear in testimonies, reports, negotiations, or delivery receipts of the generators. “It is well-known of the influence the [President Daniel] Noboa has over the state prosecutor’s office and it is obvious the government wants to protect its favorites and find scapegoats for its failures.”

Previously, Rodas and the National Anti-Corruption Commission had claimed that Noboa had developed an “enemies list” of political opponents and was using the state prosecutor’s office to conduct investigations and to make arrests of those on the list. “We saw what happened with the mayor of Guayaquil [Aquiles Alvarez}, and the attacks on other local officials, including the mayor of Cuenca [Cristian Zamora], who have criticized the government.”

He adds: “The investigation in the Progen case reflects this modus operandi.”