Judge orders pretrial detention for Luisa Gonzalez

A judge ordered pretrial detention for two-time presidential candidate Luisa Gonzalez and two other people investigated for alleged money laundering linked to campaign financing, the Attorney General’s Office said Friday.

Former Correista presidential candidate Louisa Gonzalez in police custody Friday.

The ruling stems from the Labyrinth case, which investigates alleged irregularities in the financing of the Citizens’ Revolution’s 2023 presidential campaign.

Gonzalez was arrested during an overnight police raid in Manabi Province on Thursday.

The investigation focuses on the suspected use of funds linked to illegal fuel trading to finance electoral advertising and other campaign expenses.

Prosecutors are examining the origin and justification of campaign contributions, as well as payments that may not have been properly reported to electoral authorities.

The case also involves former National Assemblyman Santiago Diaz and others suspected of participating in the alleged scheme, prosecutors say.

The judge ordered pretrial detention for Gonzalez, Diaz and Wendy Onofre, while Estefanía Molina, who the mother of a young child, must report to authorities three times a week, remain in Ecuador and wear an electronic monitor.

Prosecutors allege that approximately $500,000 may have been moved through a network of companies to finance campaign advertising between May and October 2023. Following her arrest, a prosecutor said that Gonzalez’s involvement involves $6,000. The investigation will continue during a 90-day period of formal instruction, according to the official statement.

Gonzalez, who represented the Citizens’ Revolution movement in the 2023 and 2025 presidential elections, has rejected the allegations and described the case as political persecution.

According to National Police, Gonzalez was transported to a prison in Riobamba Friday night.