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.

Luisa 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.

In a post on X, Gonzalez said the accusation was “absurd” and she asked for unity from members of her party to reach freedom and democracy in Ecuador.

The head of the Citizens’ Revolution party, Gabriela Rivadeneira, confirmed the arrest in a social media post and argued it was politically motivated.

“We demand the immediate release of Luisa Gonzalez, who should not have to face a process of persecution and torture imposed by this government,” she told reporters.

In a video posted on social media, the Attorney General’s Office said the investigation was seeking to clarify the source of the funds used to finance election advertising between May and August 2023.

“A network of legal entities was used to channel approximately $500,000 to contract and purchase campaign advertising. The funds were allegedly channelled without disclosing their source or the identity of those who contributed them,” it said in a video.

Rivadeneira said the 2023 campaign funds were fully accounted for and prior financial penalties imposed by the electoral authority had been paid, echoing earlier statements from Gonzalez.

Former President Correa, who backed Gonzalez’s candidacy, also disputed the allegations.

“This is not about legality, or whether the rules are being followed or not. It is brutal and simple persecution,” he told a local radio program.

The Ecuadorean Attorney General’s Office in a social media post said seven people are under investigation over “inconsistencies in the contributions and the lawful source of the funds” during the 2023 presidential campaign.

Three people so far have been arrested and will face charges for alleged money laundering, it said, without providing their full names.

Gonzalez lost both the 2023 and 2025 elections to Noboa, and alleged fraud in last year’s loss. She had attempted to run in local elections set for November 29 but was unable to register her candidacy due to party registration rules.

Well-known pizza chain Pizza Fan was boasting that “everything was Greek.” Allegedly everything was Greek including the fraud scheme that cost the state 25 million euros in Value Added Tax. On Thursday, teams of the Greek Directorate for Combating Organized Crime raided the headquarters of Pizza Fan, an unknown number of its affiliates stores, houses […]

The post Pizza Fan owner, accountants arrested for tax evasion fraud scheme appeared first on Keep Talking Greece.

“I’ve been detained by the IDF, along with a group of rabbis and volunteers,” Lander posted on the way to the police station. “Harvesting olives isn’t a crime under any law I know.”

Police on Thursday summoned a woman for questioning after she allegedly attempted to enter the Limassol district court carrying a knife.

Speaking to the Cyprus Mail, the police could not confirm that the woman had been arrested as suggested in other media reports but said that she had been taken to the police headquarters in Limassol to be summoned.

Investigations into the case are ongoing.

A 26-year-old has been arrested in Nicosia for facilitating the illegal entry and residence of eight people in the Republic of Cyprus.

The man was arrested at 9pm on Wednesday evening.

The police said on Thursday this was the second person arrested in connection with the case.

A 22-year-old was arrested on Monday and has been issued an eight-day remand order to facilitate investigations.

At 10.30pm on Sunday, the police had caught eight people in Aglandja, Nicosia, who had crossed illegally from the occupied north.

Police investigations are ongoing.

One person was arrested and 81 drivers reported for speeding during overnight police operations.

The police pulled over 563 vehicles and checked 654 drivers and passengers.

A total of 175 reports were filed for various traffic offences, including 81 for speeding, one for drink driving and one for driving under the influence of drugs. Two vehicles were impounded.

The police also raided 31 establishments.