The president of the National Congress of Paraguay, Basilio “Bachi” Núñez, declared support for the proposal by opposition Senator Eduardo Nakayama to conduct a complete review of the university degrees of public employees who received promotions, bonuses, or salary increases based on questioned or allegedly irregular diplomas.
In a message published on his social media, Núñez stated that the change should begin in Parliament itself. “We must start at home, set an example in our own space so that it later extends across the other branches of government,” he wrote. The statement is seen as an attempt to distance himself from recent scandals involving academic degrees.
Núñez's support comes amid growing public pressure following the cases of former Colorado Party senators Hernán Rivas and Erico Galeano. Rivas is the subject of national controversy over suspicions that he did not regularly attend law school, while Galeano was convicted of money laundering and criminal association in the “A Ultranza” case.
Nakayama warned that these situations would not be isolated but part of a broader scheme of corruption and influence peddling entrenched in public institutions. According to the senator, many employees obtained positions and benefits using irregular diplomas or degrees from universities under suspicion. He described the cases of Rivas and Galeano as “just the tip of the iceberg” of a structure involving political favors and manipulation of academic documents.
The controversy intensified after questions arose about diplomas issued by private universities that are under public and judicial scrutiny. So far, the verification mechanisms and the bodies responsible for the audit have not been detailed, but there is already consideration of the need to cross-reference data with the Ministry of Education, the National Council of Higher Education (Cones), and the universities involved.
Núñez stated that he will support any initiative to make the situation of employees more transparent and that only with concrete measures will it be possible to restore institutional credibility. “Only then do we generate real and credible change,” he concluded.