Asunción Mayor Luis Bello quickly replaced Urban Services Director Víctor Basualdo after a union ultimatum and strong political rejection due to the official's criminal record. The change was announced on Thursday, just hours after the controversial appointment.
Basualdo had taken office on Wednesday, but the designation was immediately contested by the Union of Workers and Employees of the Municipality of Asunción (Sinoema). The union's secretary general, Julio Fernández, said he gave a deadline until noon on Thursday for the mayor to reverse the appointment, under threat of a halt to urban cleaning services.
The main point of conflict was Basualdo's judicial conviction. In 2024, he was sentenced to two years in prison with suspended execution after pleading guilty as an accomplice to the crimes of breach of trust and criminal association. The sentence resulted from his involvement in a corruption scheme in the Central Department Governor's Office during the administration of former governor Hugo Javier, which diverted more than G. 18.3 billion.
According to Fernández, in a telephone conversation, Mayor Bello reportedly said that "unfortunately he did not look into the background of the person" appointed and committed to resolving the situation by the morning. Pressure also came from the Municipal Board, which had summoned Basualdo to account to councilors within one week.
To fill the position, Bello appointed lawyer Carlos Reyes Ruiz, who was already serving as general director of Interinstitutional Relations and External Cooperation of the municipality. Reyes Ruiz is a labor law graduate and has experience in public service, including stints in the legal department of the Autonomous University of the South (UNASUR) and the Labor Risk Directorate of the Social Security Institute (IPS).
The crisis in the Urban Services Directorate occurs amid operational problems in the garbage collection service in the capital. The union reported that, despite the truck fleet being almost 100% operational, the service was recently affected by a lack of fuel due to delays in payment to the supplier company.
This rapid turnaround comes one day after Basualdo's initial appointment caused a scandal, forcing the municipal executive chief to publicly backtrack under pressure from workers and legislators.