On 10 April 2026, the company Gráficos Nacionales S.A. (Granasa), publisher of the newspapers Diario Expreso and Diario Extra, released a statement on the social media platform X warning of an alleged attempt by the Ecuadorian government to take control of 40% of its shareholding. According to the company, it is unofficially known that a complaint has been filed with the Office of the Attorney General against its executives, with the aim of enabling the Ecuadorian State to assume that shareholding stake. The complaint was reportedly filed by the individual appointed by the Superintendency of Companies (the regulatory body overseeing private companies) to liquidate the company Veranera, which was a shareholder of Granasa until 2020, when it transferred 40% of its shares to the current president of Granasa. According to the statement, those allegedly accused have not yet been formally notified.
In addition to the ongoing intervention process by the Superintendency of Companies, these legal actions against Granasa and its executives would constitute coordinated attempts by the national government to silence critical voices in private media and to control the media narrative surrounding President Daniel Noboa’s administration. Should this case move forward, the State could acquire a significant stake in two of Ecuador’s leading print media outlets, enabling the government to influence their editorial line or administrative decisions.
So far, no responses have been reported from other civil society organizations or freedom of expression advocacy groups. However, both Diario Expreso and Diario Extra have protested these alleged acts of state harassment by publishing blank front pages in their Sunday, April 12 editions.