Minister Luque showed the new prison to Rafael Correa in response to his criticisms

Minister of Transport and Public Works, Roberto Luque, replied with irony to former president Rafael Correa after his criticism on social media. Luque accompanied his message with a photograph showing the progress of the new prison being built in Santa Elena.

With a direct invitation, the minister assured that "accommodation" for Correa is guaranteed and urged him to return to see where corrupt individuals end up. The project, called 'El Encuentro' prison, had reached 30% completion by July and aims to implement a model similar to Bukele's in El Salvador.

Luque's response came after corruption accusations that Correa made against the minister and the Minister of Energy, Inés Manzano, regarding failed contracts that allegedly caused the State a loss of USD 120 million. The former president stated that "for half of this, Luque and Manzano would already be in prison in a country with the rule of law."

Luque and Manzano denied responsibility in the Progen case and explained that their role was limited to supervision without signing contracts. Since 2017, Correa has remained in Belgium serving an eight-year sentence for corruption in the Sobornos case and continues to attack the Government from his social media accounts.

The exchange between Luque and Correa reflects the political tension that persists in Ecuador amid accusations and public responses. Meanwhile, the Government is moving forward with projects such as the Santa Elena prison, while the opposition keeps its critical discourse from abroad.