The Fiscalía General del Estado asked criminal guarantees judge Raquel Maza to order preventive detention for Guido Perugachi, president of the National Confederation of Indigenous and Black Organizations, during a virtual hearing on Tuesday, August 11, 2026. Perugachi is under investigation for the alleged paralysis of public services.
The charge formulation hearing took place in Ibarra, in the province of Imbabura, and lasted nearly three hours. Perugachi appeared telematically alongside defense attorneys Henry Ospitia and Luis Fernando Ávila, while prosecutor Washington Bolívar Burbano also attended virtually.
During the proceeding, prosecutor Burbano reviewed events from a strike in Imbabura in September and October 2025. The Indigenous movement called the protest to reject President Daniel Noboa's order eliminating extra gasoline subsidies. The prosecutor presented police reports as evidence and stated that Perugachi led several mobilizations.
Defense Response and Court Decisions
The defense team dismissed the accusations and maintained that the prosecutor's evidence did not justify preventive detention. Attorneys Ospitia and Ávila urged the court to pursue intercultural dialogue and asked Judge Maza to order alternative measures for the Indigenous leader instead.
Judge Maza asked the prosecutor for the physical file to analyze the evidence presented during the hearing. She notified Perugachi that he has the status of being processed and declared open the fiscal instruction phase for a period of 90 days.
The judge suspended the hearing and announced she would reconvene the proceeding at an appropriate time to deliver her ruling on the requests from both sides.
The hearing was held after the Criminal Chamber of the Imbabura Provincial Court of Justice rejected an appeal filed by Perugachi. The Fenocin leader had appealed Judge Maza's decision denying his request to have the public services paralysis case handled through Indigenous justice.
