Ecuador Charges Seven in 2023 Presidential Candidate Assassination Plot

Ecuador’s Attorney General’s Office filed formal charges Saturday against seven individuals suspected of masterminding the 2023 assassination of prominent presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio.

Villavicencio, a former investigative journalist known for pursuing corruption cases, was fatally shot 11 days before the 2023 presidential election. At the time of his death, he ranked second in opinion polls.

The Attorney General’s Office announced the charges on the platform X, specifying that the seven were accused “as indirect perpetrators” of the homicide.

Key Suspects Named

Those charged include former Interior Minister José Serrano, former legislator Ronny Alejiga, and businessman Javier Jordán. Four others linked to the Los Lobos (The Wolves) criminal organization are also named — among them Wilmer Chavarria, known as “Pipo,” who leads the group.

According to the prosecution, Jordán — currently residing in the United States — “funded and planned” the assassination, as reported by Agence France-Presse.

Serrano, who served under former President Rafael Correa, is accused of providing Los Lobos with information about Villavicencio’s movements and whereabouts.

Roles in the Plot

Attorney General Ana Hidalgo alleged that Alejiga — who has been granted asylum in Venezuela — coordinated “the necessary actions to carry out the killing.”

Chavarria, currently facing extradition proceedings from Spain to Ecuador, is accused of planning the assassination in exchange for one million dollars.

Villavicencio had reported receiving threats from organized crime groups prior to his death.

Five other individuals previously connected to the assassination have already been convicted, with some sentences reaching 34 years’ imprisonment.

The alleged shooter was killed by Villavicencio’s security detail at the scene. Six additional suspects linked to the crime died inside prison.