Guayaquil Mayor Aquiles Alvarez's Three-Year Prison Sentence Ratified by Appeals Tribunal

The Guayas Court of Justice's Appeals Tribunal, composed of provincial judges Rosario Franco Jaramillo, Demóstenes Díaz Ruilova, and Carmen Vázquez Rodríguez, ratified a first-instance sentence of three years in prison against Guayaquil's mayor, Aquiles Alvarez. The ruling, issued on the afternoon of Wednesday, September 16, 2026, confirms Alvarez's conviction as the direct author of the crime of non-compliance with a legitimate order from a competent authority. This decision follows an appeal hearing for a sentence Alvarez received on August 3.

The August 3 sentence, in addition to the three-year prison term, included an economic fine of ten basic unified salaries (SBU), equivalent to $4,820. It also stipulated a symbolic reparation requiring Alvarez to issue public apologies and disseminate the operative part of the ruling in a national newspaper. The case stems from Alvarez's removal of an electronic monitoring bracelet, which had been ordered as a precautionary measure in a separate judicial process.

Mayor Alvarez is currently held in the Cárcel del Encuentro, located in the province of Santa Elena. This facility is described as a maximum-security prison. Beyond this three-year sentence in the 'Grillete' (bracelet) case, Alvarez also has a first-instance sentence of six years and eight months in prison for the crime of illegal storage, transport, packaging, commercialization, or distribution of hydrocarbons, known as the 'Triple A' case.

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Following the ratification, Alvarez's legal counsel has indicated plans to file a cassation appeal. The outcome of this appeal will determine the finality of the three-year prison sentence. Additionally, the status of the first-instance sentence in the 'Triple A' case remains a factor in the mayor's legal situation.

Sources: eluniverso.com; vistazo.com.