QUITO — Luisa Gonzalez, a prominent leftist politician in Ecuador who was runner-up to President Daniel Noboa in the last two elections, has been arrested, the head of her party said on Thursday, according to Reuters. Al Jazeera also listed the arrest among its top world stories on Thursday.

Source: Reuters via KELO-FM syndication

Gonzalez, a protege of former socialist President Rafael Correa, is under investigation over alleged irregularities in political financing and campaign spending in the 2023 election, Reuters reported. The allegations remain allegations: no court finding has been reported.

In a video posted on social media, the Attorney General's Office said the investigation was seeking to clarify the source of funds used to finance election advertising between May and August 2023. It said a network of legal entities was allegedly used to channel approximately $500,000 to contract and purchase campaign advertising, without disclosing the source of the funds or the identity of contributors. Yaani: about $500,000 — roughly 5 lakh US dollars, around Rs 4.4 crore at recent rates — is the amount at the centre of the probe.

Gonzalez herself called the accusation "absurd" in a post on X and asked party members for unity. The head of the Citizens' Revolution party, Gabriela Rivadeneira, confirmed the arrest, argued it was politically motivated, and demanded Gonzalez's immediate release, saying she should not face what she called persecution by the government.

Rivadeneira said the 2023 campaign funds were fully accounted for and that prior financial penalties imposed by the electoral authority had been paid, echoing earlier statements by Gonzalez. Former President Correa also disputed the allegations, telling a local radio programme: "This is not about legality, or whether the rules are being followed or not. It is brutal and simple persecution."