Abati Preciado Ruelas

Investigative Journalist and Case File Analyst

Abati Preciado Ruelas is an investigative journalist specializing in the scrutiny of judicial proceedings, the coverage of regulatory frameworks, and the analysis of the administration of justice in Latin America. His career is distinguished by a firm commitment to institutional oversight, examining legal case files, court rulings, and public records to accurately document the exercise of power.At Bajo Lupa Digital, he is part of the investigative team tasked with untangling legal controversies and high-impact political cases. His journalistic approach prioritizes analytical sobriety, rigorous respect for due process, and the exhaustive cross-referencing of primary sources, providing citizens with a documented perspective free from partisan biases.

Rafael Correa: the final sentence Ecuador cannot enforce, the trial suspended over a kidnapping and life in Belgium

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Rafael Correa

Rafael Correa governed Ecuador between 2007 and 2017 and has lived in Belgium since leaving power. He is the only former president in the region with a final corruption conviction that no State has managed to enforce. The National Court of Justice sentenced him in absentia to eight years for bribery in April 2020. Belgium, … Read more about Rafael Correa: the final sentence Ecuador cannot enforce, the trial suspended over a kidnapping and life in Belgium

Ollanta Humala: the trail of the Venezuela and Odebrecht contributions, the 57 donors who denied paying and what the Constitutional Court left unpunished

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Ollanta Humala

Ollanta Humala governed Peru between 2011 and 2016. In April 2025 he became the third former Peruvian president sentenced to prison over facts linked to Odebrecht. Fifteen months later, the Constitutional Court annulled the entire proceedings. This piece does not follow the sentence, but the money. It reconstructs which contributions the courts traced for the … Read more about Ollanta Humala: the trail of the Venezuela and Odebrecht contributions, the 57 donors who denied paying and what the Constitutional Court left unpunished

Ñoño Elías: the trail of the 2 % of Ruta del Sol II, the 1,600 million pesos in bribes and the 13,600 million fine the Court imposed

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Bernardo «Ñoño» Elías

Bernardo Miguel Elías Vidal, «el Ñoño», was a senator for the Partido de la U and the great vote-getter of Córdoba. He is one of the politicians with the most final convictions in this series: three, none overturned. However, this piece does not follow the sentences, but the money. It reconstructs what he charged Odebrecht … Read more about Ñoño Elías: the trail of the 2 % of Ruta del Sol II, the 1,600 million pesos in bribes and the 13,600 million fine the Court imposed

Keiko Fujimori: the trail of Dionisio Romero’s US$3.65 million, Odebrecht’s million and the 67 % of campaign money nobody could account for

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Keiko Fujimori

Keiko Fujimori took office as President of Peru on 28 July 2026. She arrives with the Cócteles case dismissed, but with three open investigations that the Constitution freezes while she governs. This piece does not follow the judicial decisions, but the money. It reconstructs how much entered her 2011 and 2016 campaigns and from where, … Read more about Keiko Fujimori: the trail of Dionisio Romero’s US$3.65 million, Odebrecht’s million and the 67 % of campaign money nobody could account for

Juan Carlos Varela: the former president the United States punished for corruption and whom Panama still cannot bring to trial

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Juan Carlos Varela

Juan Carlos Varela was Vice President of Panama between 2009 and 2014 and President between 2014 and 2019. Together with Ricardo Martinelli, he is one of the two former Panamanian presidents reached by the Odebrecht scandal. However, his case file has an asymmetry that this piece walks through. The US State Department barred him from … Read more about Juan Carlos Varela: the former president the United States punished for corruption and whom Panama still cannot bring to trial

Alejandro Toledo: the former president the United States did hand over, the two extradition extensions and the only case in the series with a final sentence being served

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Alejandro Toledo

Alejandro Toledo governed Peru from 2001 to 2006. Of the three former Peruvian presidents investigated over Odebrecht, he is the only one with final convictions that he is serving in prison. His case is also the only one in this series in which international cooperation worked from start to finish. The United States extradited him … Read more about Alejandro Toledo: the former president the United States did hand over, the two extradition extensions and the only case in the series with a final sentence being served

José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero: Plus Ultra, Análisis Relevante, Whathefav and the companies that made him Spain’s first indicted former prime minister

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José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero

José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero led the Spanish government from 2004 to 2011. In May 2026 he became the first former Spanish prime minister indicted before the Audiencia Nacional. His case file is best understood through the companies that run through it. Plus Ultra, the airline bailed out with 53 million euros of public money. Análisis … Read more about José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero: Plus Ultra, Análisis Relevante, Whathefav and the companies that made him Spain’s first indicted former prime minister