(C) Al Jazeera

QUITO — Ecuadorian prosecutors announced on the 28th (local time) that they are investigating left-wing opposition politicians on suspicion of money laundering involving illegal campaign funds allegedly sourced from Venezuela.

Through social media platforms, including X (formerly Twitter), the Prosecutor General’s Office stated, "In collaboration with the police, we conducted raids today in the Pichincha and Guayas regions to investigate charges of organized crime and money laundering." The authorities added that the searches aim to verify allegations that cash from Venezuela flowed into the 2023 presidential campaign. Prosecutors have officially named the investigation the "Caja Chica (Slush Fund) Case."

Local media outlets, including El Universo and TV Caracol, identified the primary targets as Luisa González (48), former leader of the left-wing Citizen Revolution Movement (RC), and Andrés Arauz (40), the party’s former secretary-general. González, a major political rival to the current center-right President Daniel Noboa, lost to him in both the 2023 special election and last year's general election. Arauz was the runner-up in the 2021 presidential race.

Prosecutors are working to determine whether funds from Venezuelan-based drug cartels or organizations linked to President Nicolás Maduro were channeled into the opposition’s campaign coffers.

In a press conference following the raids, González vehemently denied the allegations, calling them "clear political persecution." She maintained that the party "did not receive a single cent from any Venezuelan-linked organizations" and asserted that all campaign expenditures were meticulously reported to electoral authorities. On her X account, she further criticized the prosecutors for "staging a show for social media" and violating her rights despite initial promises of a private investigation.

The Citizen Revolution Movement was founded by former President Rafael Correa (in office 2007–2017), who is currently living in exile after being convicted of corruption.