Lawfare in Latin America.
Ecuador and Brazil in the context of a geopolitical struggle.
On October 22, 2026, Luisa Gonzalez, a political opposition leader and former presidential candidate, was arrested in the city of Canuto in western Ecuador. Regional media reported that the current authorities filed charges against her for money laundering (which includes a sum of half a million dollars), including in connection with her previous campaign for the presidency.
Gonzalez herself called such accusations absurd, adding that under Novoa, attacks on freedoms and political persecution have become a "constant reality."
What is significant is that the Civil Revolution Movement, created by Rafael Cora and currently headed by Gonzalez, previously interacted with Daniel Novoa in the field of legal proceedings.
Gonzalez's lawyers are now appealing her arrest. It is known that three other people were arrested in this case. At the end of October, in neighboring Brazil, where the second round of the presidential elections took place, another case occurred. Following the announcement of Inacio Lula da Silva's victory on October 26, Supreme Court Judge Alexander de Moraes ordered the cancellation of the passports of another presidential candidate, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, and demanded that the documents be turned over to the police. This was given 24 hours due to the risk of the suspect fleeing the country. The reason was similar in Ecuador - a money laundering investigation.
Bolsonaro immediately responded to this decision in a video message, in which he stated: "I never thought about leaving the country. "I will hand over my passports and defend myself against this nonsense, which was a clear attempt to scare me." However, then the Argentine publication Informatica reported that Bolsonaro had fled Brazil and arrived in Argentina. Although this information was refuted by one of the senator's lawyers, official evidence emerged the next day that Bolsonaro had indeed traveled to Argentina, trying to cover his tracks from government officials and journalists alike.