Prosecutor who investigated attack on Ecuador TV studio shot dead
January 18, 2024

The prosecutor who investigated the recent attack on a TV station in Ecuador was shot dead in Guayaquil on Wednesday. Public prosecutor César Suárez was shot in his car on his way to court. According to the police, the attack has all the hallmarks of a liquidation.

Suárez was involved in the fight against organized international crime in the province of Guayas, in southwestern Ecuador. He investigated the armed attack on TV station TC Televisión in the port city of Guayaquil. Thirteen hostage takers were arrested on January 9. He also investigated corruption in hospitals, drug trafficking and embezzlement, among other things.

In recent weeks, Ecuador has been in unprecedented chaos due to attacks by criminal organizations. There were riots and hostage taking of 170 people in seven prisons in the country. President Noboa declared a state of emergency. Since then, approximately 40,000 soldiers have been conducting operations and patrolling the streets throughout the country, especially in neighborhoods where drug traffickers are active.

Attorney General Diana Salazar responded to the death of prosecutor César Suárez in a video. “The criminals, the terrorists, will not stop our commitment to Ecuadorian society. We call on the services to guarantee the safety of those who do their work.' She shared no further details about Suárez's death.

Investigation into ex-minister
The Ecuadorian justice department is investigating the murder of the public prosecutor. Primicias writes that José Serrano, a former Minister of the Interior, is a suspect in the case. The Public Prosecution Service has started an investigation into him 'for alleged dissemination of confidential information, because of his “revelations” on sensitive issues.'

Serrano, who was fired in 2018 over a leaked audio scandal against another prosecutor, said in a response to the Public Prosecution Service: "An investigation is urgently needed to determine who leaked the information requested by Prosecutor Suárez to the criminals who ordered to kill him. I will always be willing to cooperate with whatever the law requires of me.”