Sandinista commander Bayardo Arce arrested amid corruption probe and political shake-up in Nicaragua.

Nicaraguan authorities have arrested Bayardo Arce, a senior Sandinista figure and longtime economic adviser to President Daniel Ortega, amid an escalating internal purge within the country’s ruling elite.

According to Nicaraguan media, Arce, 76, was detained early Thursday morning following a raid by dozens of police officers on his home in Managua. He had been under house arrest since Sunday, reports said.

The Attorney General’s Office, controlled by the Ortega government, announced Wednesday it had launched a corruption probe against Arce, accusing him of “illegal transactions and negotiations” related to properties and businesses allegedly tied to state interests. Prosecutors claim Arce refused to cooperate or present documentation when questioned.

His aide, Ricardo Bonilla, was arrested a day earlier for allegedly refusing to “render accounts”, officials added.

The Nicaraguan news outlet Confidencial reported that Arce’s detention is part of a broader purge being directed by Vice President Rosario Murillo, Ortega’s wife and co-ruler, with the president’s full support. Sources close to the exiled opposition believe Murillo is consolidating power in preparation for succession, as Ortega’s health visibly deteriorates.

In recent public appearances, Ortega, now 79, has appeared frail and unsteady. He is reported to suffer from lupus and kidney failure, raising speculation about who may eventually replace him.

Arce is the third prominent Sandinista veteran to be placed under house arrest this year. Henry Ruiz, another historic commander, was confined in March. Humberto Ortega, the president’s brother and a former army chief, was under similar restrictions before his death in September 2024.

Arce and Daniel Ortega were close comrades during the 1979 Sandinista revolution that toppled United States-backed dictator Anastasio Somoza. After decades in and out of power, Ortega returned to the presidency in 2007 and has remained in office through successive elections that many have criticised as undemocratic.

The arrests have sent a chilling message across Nicaragua’s political landscape, particularly among veteran revolutionaries who once stood alongside Ortega and are now facing marginalisation or detention.