Ecuadoran prosecutors on Wednesday charged a former minister, an ex-lawmaker and a businessman of orchestrating the 2023 assassination of an anti-corruption presidential candidate.

Fernando Villavicencio, 59, was polling in second place when he was shot and killed at a campaign event 11 days before the election.

Previously, he had exposed a vast graft network as an investigative journalist, leading to socialist former president Rafael Correa being sentenced to eight years in prison.

Correa fled the country to avoid jail time and has been exiled in Belgium.

Villavicencio reported receiving threats from organized crime groups prior to his death.

On Wednesday, the prosecutor's office officially charged Correa-era minister Jose Serrano, Correa-aligned former lawmaker Ronny Aleaga and busi

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