Social Christians, Democracia Sí parties announce candidates; Cuenca gold medalist gets a hero’s welcome; Turi was at center of prison corruption

The Social Christian and Democracia Sí parties announced their presidential candidates Tuesday, both expected to present strong challenges to President Daniel Noboa and Citizens Revolution’s Luisa Gonzalez in the February election. National Assembly President Henry Kronfle will represent PSC while Iván Saquicela, former president of the National Court System, was picked by Democracia Sí.

National Assemblywoman Dallyana Passailaigue will be Kronfle’s running mate. Martha Rizzo, president of the Casa de la Cultura of Guayas Province, joins Iván Saquicela as vice-presidential candidate.

Olympic gold-medalist Daniel Pintado received a hero’s welcome in Cuenca Tuesday night following his return from the Paris games. He is the second Cuencano, after Jefferson Perez, to win Olympic gold.

In their acceptance comments, Kronfle and Saquicela described a country facing multiple crises. “These are times that require leadership that is intent on solving Ecuador’s problems and not on selfish personal interests,” Kronfle said. “My campaign will emphasize the fact that the country requires a holistic approach to overcoming various crises. We must devote as much effort to solving our social and economic problems as we do in fighting criminal gangs.”

Saying that Ecuador is experiencing its “darkest moment,” Saquicela said the influence of organized crime in public institutions motivated him to seek the presidency. “So many of the problems we face are the result of corruption in the structures of the state. How can we effectively confront criminal organizations on the streets without first acknowledging the extent of their influence on our justice and political systems?” he asked.

Cuenca gold medalist returns to a hero’s welcome
Olympic champion Daniel Pintado received a hero’s welcome Tuesday night in Cuenca following his return from the 2024 Paris games. Pintado won a gold medal in the men’s 20 km race walking competition and a silver in the 42 km mixed race walking relay.

Riding atop of a double-decker tourist bus, the champion was cheered by a crowd of several thousand along a route through the city from the airport. The procession concluded at Alejandro Serrano Aguilar stadium at 7:30 with a concert by the Zuchos del Vado and Guanaco.

Pintado is Cuenca’s second Olympic race walking gold medalist. Jefferson Perez won first place at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

Turi was center for prison corruption case
In Tuesday court testimony in Quito, a former director of the Turi prison in Cuenca described the network of corrupt prison officials and judges he worked with to meet the early release and transfer requests of convicted gang members. Xavier Raúl Armijos, who agreed to cooperate with the prosecution, named judges and described the process by which favors were granted to gang members in exchange for payment. He is one of 31 arrested in the Plaga Case,

Armijos, who holds a law degree, admitted he continued his work with corrupt judges and gang intermediaries following his resignation from Turi in August 2022. “I assisted in the process of assigning prisoner cases to sympathetic judges who, for money, would grants favorable rulings,” he said. “As a private attorney with connections in the prison system, I was able to coordinate requests for which I was paid.”

According to his testimony, Armijos met on multiple occasions with Lenin Vimos, identified by prosecutors as the ringleader of the Plaga Case corruption structure. “He communicated with the judges and negotiated the legal outcomes the gangs demanded,” Armijos said. “He came to me and said he needed Turi to be a central component in meeting those demands. He also handled the payments to those involved in the network, including the judges.”

In his statements, Armijos described details of several prisoner releases and transfers and the amount of money paid to judges and prison officers by Vimos.

Five die in Camilo Ponce Enríquez gunfight
National Police have arrested three men following a deadly shootout Tuesday morning at a gold mine in the Camilo Ponce Enríquez canton in western Azuay Province. Five people were killed and three more were injured in what is described as an ambush at the Las Lomas mine.

According to the joint police and military command, the gunfight was the result of conflicting claims on the mine by factions of the Los Lobos gang operating in Guayas and Los Rios Provinces. The command reported that two of the victims were decapitated. Those arrested and charged with murder are Óscar Z., Edison C., and Jonathan B.