2023-08-10 02:25:38
SEMANA: What could motivate the assassination of Fernando Villavicencio?
Juan Pablo Ruiz (JPR): there were those cases of corruption that he denounced, which were verified by ex-president Rafael Correa himself, cases of corruption that even reached us at the time after the ex-president was sentenced. He also denounced cases of corruption in the oil negotiations, Ecuador is an oil country and many of these cases of corruption were denounced by Villavicencio when he was a journalist and, later, as a legislator.
SEMANA: How was Villavicencio doing in the polls?
Fernando Villavicencio, former presidential candidate in Ecuador. | Photo: KAREN TORO
SEMANA: Are these complaints the ones that could have cost you your life?
SEMANA: What can you tell us about what happened to Villavicencio in the attack against him?
JPR: Several shots were perpetrated against Villavicencio and at least one of them was lethal, for which Villavicencio died, as I’m telling you, today at a rally he had at the Anderson College in north central Quito. In fact, a few steps away is the Women’s Clinic, the wound was so lethal that Villavicencio could not even get there alive. It was a shootout because the security teams of the presidential candidates who are at the moment have police backing. That is to say that the judicial support that he had faced the hitmen.
Site of the attack on Fernando Villavicencio. | Photo: KAREN TORO
SEMANA: How is the feeling in Ecuador right now?
JPR: In Quito, at least there is a lot of attention because they are looking for the hitmen and some confrontation could easily occur, because the violence has been concentrated in recent months mainly in the provinces of the rivers in Guayas, in Cantón Durán, in Manabín and in some In a way, the capital has been affected by violent acts, but not to this magnitude.
What can happen in the last hours? On the one hand, we are going to see that in fact many organizations are already being provoked, the Chambers of Commerce, the Chambers of Industry, the authorities, there will be a lot of pronouncement, a lot of attention. In fact, I also recommended to my wife who was with her friends at the movies that they retire. Surely there could be clashes and it is not prudent to go to the capital in this situation.
Fernando Villavicencio in campaign. | Photo: KAREN TORO
SEMANA: And in political matters?
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