FBI team joins probe into Ecuador presidential candidate slaying
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Fernando Villavicencio repeatedly said he was not afraid of the gangs despite receiving threats.
PHOTO: AFP
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QUITO – Agents from the United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) were meeting Ecuadorean police and prosecutors on Sunday as part of a joint effort to uncover who was behind last week’s assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio.
The killing of the 59-year-old in the closing days of the campaign
Mr Villavicencio, a former lawmaker and investigative journalist with a track record of exposing corruption, repeatedly said he was not afraid of the gangs despite receiving threats.
On Sunday, Interior Minister Juan Zapata told reporters that the FBI team had already met police leaders and would in the “next few hours” meet prosecutors from the attorney-general’s office who are leading the investigation into Mr Villavicencio’s slaying.
Six Colombian nationals have been charged with the murder and remain in custody, while one other suspect died after an exchange of gunfire shortly after the murder. Police accuse the Colombians of ties to criminal groups.
Mr Villavicencio was one of eight candidates criss-crossing the Andean country for votes ahead of the Aug 20 election.
Outgoing President Guillermo Lasso asked for FBI help in the case on Thursday, the day after Mr Villavicencio was shot multiple times as he stepped into a car surrounded by a small group of people that included his own government-provided bodyguards.
Earlier on Sunday, leaders of the Build party, or Construye in Spanish, announced that they would now opt for Ecuadoran journalist Christian Zurita to replace Mr Villavicencio as the party’s top candidate, reversing their decision on Saturday to elevate the party’s vice-presidential nominee.
Mr Zurita had collaborated with Mr Villavicencio in the past. His candidacy must still be approved by the national electoral council.
“We’re going to try to emulate his abilities and we’re going to try to emulate his name,” Mr Zurita said at a press conference, referring to Mr Villavicencio, while wearing a bulletproof vest.
He emphasised that he would not negotiate with “any mafia”.
While ballots for the election had already been printed prior to Mr Villavicencio’s assassination, votes for him will automatically transfer to the party’s replacement. REUTERS
