Paraguayan Prosecutor Accuses Former President Mario Abdo Benitez

The Public Ministry of Paraguay charged former President Mario Abdo Benitez and other government officials with alleged crimes of disclosure of official secrets, among others.

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The accused are alleged to have committed crimes such as: "disclosure of service secrets, disclosure of private secrets by officials or persons with special obligations, inducement of a subordinate to commit a punishable act, false denunciation, simulation of a punishable act, usurpation of public functions and criminal association” according to the indictment drawn up by the prosecution.

In addition to former President Mario Abdo Benitez, president from 2018 to 2023, his private secretary, Mauricio Espínola, his Minister of Prevention of Money Laundering, Carlos Arregui, the former Minister of the Interior, Arnaldo Giuzzio, and his intelligence advisor were charged, Daniel Farias Kronawetter.

Officials of the National Anti-Corruption Secretariat, the Secretariat for the Prevention of Money or Property Laundering (Seprelad) and Financial Analysis are also under investigation by the public prosecutor’s office.

The indictment was carried out by prosecutors Aldo Cantero Colmán and Giovanni Grisetti "after having sufficient evidence to suspect the existence of the punishable acts".

On the other hand, the complaint was made by the former Paraguayan president Horacio Cartes, who declared himself a victim since 2018 of an alleged "persecution" by "officials with great political power," referring to former President Abdo and his clique.

Cartes, the current president of the Colorado party, was investigated by the US for corruption, and his entry to the northern country was denied to him and his children. In view of this, Horacio Cartes' defense lawyer declared that everything was a campaign of lies orchestrated by Mario Abdo Benitez and his officials.