Guayaquil, Ecuador (EFE).- Yaku Pérez, an Indigenous environmental leader and former presidential candidate in Ecuador, denounced on Tuesday President Daniel Noboa, his wife Lavinia Valbonesi, and the Canadian company Dundee Precious Metals, in charge of the Loma Larga mining project, for alleged influence peddling and bribery.
According to Pérez, the company obtained the environmental licence to develop the project in the southern Andean province of Azuay in June 2025 through “fraud,” having allegedly delivered donations to Valbonesi, who runs a foundation for women and children in vulnerable situations.
The activist also claimed that, before the government granted the licence, there had been “extensive meetings” in Toronto, Canada, between the company and President Noboa.
“Consequently, President Noboa, his wife Lavinia Valbonesi, and Dundee Precious Metals are guilty of influence peddling, conflict of interest, and bribery, among other crimes,” stated Pérez.
The former presidential candidate filed the complaint on behalf of the Federation of Indigenous and Peasant Organizations of Azuay (FOA) at the Prosecutor General’s Office in the capital, Quito.
The environmental leader urged the Prosecutor’s Office to request information from the Internal Revenue Service (SRI), the Superintendence of Companies, the Presidency, and the Ministry of Economic and Social Inclusion regarding Valbonesi’s foundation.
Loma Larga is located around 30 kilometers (18 miles) southwest of Cuenca, the capital of Azuay. Once the environmental licence is approved, it is expected that an investment of between 400 and 500 million dollars will be made in constructing the mine’s facilities, with completion anticipated by the end of 2025.
During the exploitation phase, Loma Larga is expected to create around 500 direct jobs to extract approximately 925,000 ounces of gold. The deposit also contains smaller amounts of silver and copper.
Pérez is opposed to the mining project, claiming that it will result in the disappearance of the Quimsacocha lagoon complex. The company has denied this, stating that the project will only have a 0.1% impact on the river’s watercourse during construction.
“It is our obligation to fight against corruption out of an ethical and intergenerational responsibility, because we have been defending water for 30 years and we do not want it to be exploited in Quimsacocha, which supplies 40% of water to Cuenca, the third-largest city in the country, and its communities,” Pérez claimed.
The former presidential candidate argued he had provided the Attorney General’s Office with “abundant documentation” to support his complaint and announced that a large demonstration in defense of water would take place in Cuenca on Sep. 16.
He also warned that, if the environmental licence granted to the Canadian company is not revoked, “there will be an uprising in the south of the country, starting in Cuenca on Sep. 23.” EFE
cbs/dgp