Former President Rafael Correa Accuses Ecuadorian Prosecutor’s Office of Framing Him for Villavicencio Murder
Former President Rafael Correa of Ecuador has accused the country’s Prosecutor’s Office of trying to frame him for the murder of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio. The accusation comes after the State Attorney General’s Office (FGE) reported having obtained the testimony of a witness relating to the execution of Villavicencio.
The witness, who provided their testimony under oath, described the preparations and conversations involving the intellectual authors behind the murder of Villavicencio on August 9. The murder took place just before the first round of the elections, which were held on August 20.
Prior to the release of the FGE’s statement, Correa, who is the political leader of the Citizen’s Revolution Movement, claimed that the testimony was a part of a ploy to falsely accuse him of the murder. He referred to the allegation as a false positive and criticized the timing of the accusation, coming just five days before the runoff election on October 15.
In a separate incident, six individuals involved in the Villavicencio murder were killed, presumably by other inmates, in a prison in Guayaquil. Shortly afterward, a seventh implicated individual was killed in a prison in Quito. These events prompted President Guillermo Lasso to convene an emergency meeting of the security cabinet and cancel his trip to South Korea to discuss a trade agreement.
This is not the first time that Correa has faced allegations from the Ecuadorian Prosecutor’s Office. In 2019, he was accused of operating a bribery scheme involving multinational companies, including Odebrecht, during his presidency. These allegations, known as the bribery case, led to a ruling against Correa and hindered his plans to run for the vice presidency in 2021.
The current accusation against Correa adds to the existing political tension in Ecuador, as the country awaits the outcome of the runoff election. Luisa González, the candidate supported by Correa’s Citizen’s Revolution Movement, is vying for the presidency. Correa’s accusation of being framed for the murder of Villavicencio raises concerns about the fairness and integrity of the electoral process in Ecuador.
As the situation unfolds, it remains to be seen how these allegations will impact the political landscape of the country and the final results of the election.
