Five people on trial for the murder nearly a year ago of Ecuador’s centrist presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, who was shot dead in Quito in August 2023, were sentenced to heavy prison terms on Friday, Agence France-Presse found.

The main defendant, Carlos Angulo, an alleged member of one of the most dangerous gangs plaguing the country, was “sentenced to serve 34 years and eight months” in prison for planning and ordering the assassination of the politician from prison, according to the verdict. which was read at the close of the trial.

The same sentence was handed down to Laura Castillo, who supplied guns, money, cars and motorcycles to the group of Colombian hitmen who killed Villavicencio on August 9, 2023, as he was leaving a campaign rally in a hall in northern Quito.

The other defendants, Eric Ramirez, Victor Flores and Alexandra Cimbo, were sentenced to 12 years in prison for accessory to murder.

The first instance decision can be appealed by the convicted. During the trial, which was held in Quito under draconian security measures, the defendants all denied the charges under arrest.

Outside the courthouse in the financial center of the capital Quito, relatives, friends and supporters of Fernando Villavicencio held placards reading slogans such as “prison for cowardly murderers” beneath photographs of the politician.

“We need to find out the whole truth and make sure this never happens again,” commented the slain politician’s daughter, Amanda Villavicencio, via X.

According to the indictment, Mr. Flores was allegedly assigned to guarantee the safety of the motorcycle on which the executioner who killed the candidate Villavicencio was riding, while Mrs. Cibo was tasked with notifying the group of paid pistols that the politician was leaving. Mr. Ramirez had taken over surveillance of the murder scene.

On August 9, 2023, the opposition presidential candidate, former journalist Fernando Villavicencio, was killed by a gunman who shot him in the head as he was leaving a campaign event in Quito, a few days before the election, for which he was among the favorites.

Thirteen other people were injured, including police officers, soldiers and supporters of the victim.

The crime caused a shock in the country, which in recent years has been faced with a decline in the violence of gangs that engage above all in drug trafficking.

The former journalist who became famous for his investigations, a centrist candidate for the presidency, promised in his election campaign to crack down on corruption, gangrene in the political scene, and drug-trafficking gangs.

The perpetrator of the murder was killed during an exchange of fire with the bodyguards of the candidate. Six other suspects, arrested in the hours following the murder, paid executioners, Colombian nationals, were also murdered in prison two months later.

Seven more people have since been arrested; one was released, another died under circumstances that remain unclear.

Among the remaining defendants, Carlos Angulo was named the leader of the local Los Lobos (“The Wolves”) gang organization in the Ecuadorian capital.

The murder of Fernando Villavicencio was attributed to this particular gang, one of the most powerful infesting the country and claiming control of drug trafficking.

Carlos Angulo claimed that he was turned into a “scapegoat” and emphasized that nothing was “proven”, not even the accusation that he belongs to the Los Lobos gang.

The builder, 31, spoke during the trial via video link from a jail in Guayaquil (west).

Known by the nickname “Invisible”, he was held in the prison of Cotopaxi (central Andes) when the murder was committed.

According to the investigation, on the eve of the murder he participated in a video conference with three other suspects, between 21 and 38 years old.

The prosecution is conducting two more investigations, for possible omissions in the case.

When he was a journalist, Fernando Villavicencio had investigated corruption cases that led to the trials of top officials, including that of socialist former president Rafael Correa (2007-2017, now in exile).

Among the testimony given in the trial, which has been ongoing since June 25, was that of a protected witness who said that the candidate’s “head” had been offered for “$200,000” and that people connected to former President Correa were involved in the case.

The former president, who lives in Belgium and is considered a fugitive in Ecuador, has repeatedly denied having anything to do with the case.

“Don’t think that we will be satisfied only (with the conviction of) these five criminals,” commented the daughter of the murdered candidate. “Parliamentarians who are accomplices of drug traffickers must also go to jail for murder,” he insisted.

Once an oasis of peace and tranquility in Latin America, Ecuador has turned in recent years into a hub for the trafficking of cocaine produced in neighboring Colombia and Peru, and exported to the US and EU markets.

In January 2024, the president elected at the end of 2023, Daniel Noboa, declared “war” on more than twenty gangs mainly involved in drug trafficking.