A judge has ordered Paraguay’s Jury for the Impeachment of Magistrates (JEM) to release all resolutions and opinions signed by former senator Hernán Rivas while he served on the body. The JEM has the power to try and remove judges and prosecutors.
The ruling followed a public-information lawsuit filed by lawyer Federico Legal. He had requested the documents through Paraguay’s public-information portal on April 26, 2026, but did not receive a complete response from the JEM.
Judge Walter Raúl Mendoza Orué of Asunción’s 8th Civil and Commercial Court granted the request and gave the JEM 15 business days to comply. The documents may be supplied on paper or electronically, while personal information unrelated to public duties must be redacted.
The JEM argued that the requested opinions were internal, non-binding documents. The judge found that they support official decisions and therefore fall under the public’s right of access to state information.
Rivas served on the JEM during two periods between 2020 and 2023 and briefly chaired the body in 2023. The former senator is currently on trial for allegedly using a falsified law degree as the qualification for his seat on the JEM.