was possible that the disappearance of Mr. Palma had occurred for reasons of revenge or blackmail, since “he is comfortable economically and since his background included involvement in homicide.”54 74. On February 16, 2000, Mr. Lenin Oswaldo Ordóñez was arrested by order of a competent judge in the city of Ambato, province of Tungurahua, based on an existing denunciation against him and other people for the unauthorized appropriation of vehicles, firearms, and communications equipment from the PECIA company, property of the Cevallos family.55 When it was time to make his statement, Mr. Ordóñez indicated that he wanted, voluntarily, to make a statement about the kidnapping and death of Mr. Palma and another person he knew as “NN”56. 75. In his statement, Mr Ordóñez said that in the month of May 1997, when he was working as the Chief of Security for the Cevallos family businesses, unidentified criminals had stolen firearms, computers, tires, and a fax machine in the “Manabí Motors” company, and so Mr. Medardo Cevallos had asked him to take charge of the investigation, offering him everything he would need to do that work.57 Lenin Oswaldo Ordóñez said that he called together Freddy Contreras, Vicente Domínguez, and Jhonny Menéndez, the bodyguards of the executives of the Cevallos family businesses, in order to conduct various investigations, which led to the identification of Mr. Palma and another person known as “el Flaco” as the people responsible for the crime.58 76. He stated that when they kidnapped Mr. Palma on May 16, 1997, they took him to Manabí Motors to change vehicles and that they took him then to another property belonging to the Cevallos family where the other kidnapped person was also located and where he confessed that he had participated in the robbery.59 He said that since Mr. Palma told them that they were never going to recover the stolen objects, he communicated with Medardo Cevallos and Ramón Bravo Mera who ordered the two kidnapped persons be taken to the business that the Cevallos family had in Palestina and later, to Puerto Inca and to Puerto Olmedo.60 54 Preliminary Report of the Agency, Appendix to Official letter 990281-MJ-2-b of March 17, 1999, signed by Oscar Isch, Brigadier General of the Ministry of National Defense, addressed to Sister Elsie Monge, Executive Director of CEDHU. Appendix to the petitioners’ communication dated May 31, 1999. 55 Police Report No. 2000-116-PJ-M of February 21, 2000, signed by Aladino Acosa, investigator of the Ecuadorian National Police, addressed to the Chief of the Manta Judicial Police. Appendix to the communication of the State dated August 24, 2000. 56 Police Report No. 2000-128-PJ-M-COMPL of February 26, 2000, signed by Aladino Zambrano, investigator of the Ecuadorian National Police, addressed to the Chief of the Manta Judicial Police. Appendix to the communication of the State dated August 24, 2000 and appendix to the petitioners’ communication dated November 17, 2005. 57 Police Report No. 2000-128-PJ-M-COMPL of February 26, 2000, signed by Aladino Zambrano, investigator of the Ecuadorian National Police, addressed to the Chief of the Manta Judicial Police. Appendix to the communication of the State dated August 24, 2000 and appendix to the petitioners’ communication dated November 17, 2005. 58 Police Report No. 2000-128-PJ-M-COMPL of February 26, 2000, signed by Aladino Zambrano, investigator of the Ecuadorian National Police, addressed to the Chief of the Manta Judicial Police. Appendix to the communication of the State dated August 24, 2000 and appendix to the petitioners’ communication dated November 17, 2005. 59 Police Report No. 2000-128-PJ-M-COMPL of February 26, 2000, signed by Aladino Zambrano, investigator of the Ecuadorian National Police, addressed to the Chief of the Manta Judicial Police. Appendix to the communication of the State dated August 24, 2000 and appendix to the petitioners’ communication dated November 17, 2005. 60 Police Report No. 2000-128-PJ-M-COMPL of February 26, 2000, signed by Aladino Zambrano, investigator of the Ecuadorian National Police, addressed to the Chief of the Manta Judicial Police. Appendix to the communication of the State dated August 24, 2000 and appendix to the petitioners’ communication dated November 17, 2005.