Ecuador judge orders pre-trial detention of leftist presidential candidate
Luisa Gonzalez, who lost to right-wing president Daniel Noboa in 2023, has called the arrest political persecution.
A judge in Ecuador has ordered that former left-wing presidential candidate Luisa Gonzalez remain detained following her arrest for alleged money laundering.
The order on Friday came the day after 48-year-old Gonzalez, who challenged right-wing President Daniel Noboa in the 2023 election, was arrested in the rural town of Canuto.
Gonzalez, her party and her close ally, former President Rafael Correa, have called the arrest political persecution.
Prosecutors have said that Gonzalez is one of seven people under investigation for financing the 2023 presidential campaign. The probe focuses on $500,000 poured into advertising during the race.