Over the weekend, Cartista deputy Esteban Samaniego and his entourage were at the Fulgencio Yegros association in Quyquyhó, where assaults escalated into gunfire. The alleged victim, resident Nicolás Flecha Gómez, reported suffering cuts to his face and head, as well as a gunshot wound to the thigh. The accused assailant is Juan Pablo Martínez Ayala, an employee of the Chamber of Deputies and Samaniego's guard.
Martínez Ayala was appointed in September 2023 to the Chamber, with the position of 'legislative assistant' (original spelling) and a monthly salary of G. 10,500,000, according to his sworn declaration to the Comptroller General of the Republic. He submitted two updates to the declaration in August and September 2025, without correcting the spelling errors. Despite the high salary, no university degree appears in his official records.
Although recordings of the incident do not show direct aggression by Samaniego, the deputy has a history of violence. He faces three requests for removal of immunity, filed in 2019, 2022, and 2023, all for alleged physical assaults. In 2023, the requests were reiterated, but fellow lawmakers maintained his protection. In June 2019, Samaniego assaulted then-Senator Jorge Querey (Frente Guasú) for parking in a space reserved for legislators. There is also a request for removal of immunity for breach of trust during his tenure as mayor of Quyquyhó, from which he escapes thanks to parliamentary immunity. His wife, Patricia Corvalán, the current mayor of the city, and other relatives will face trial.
The president of the Chamber of Deputies, Raúl Latorre (ANR), was asked about opening an internal investigation into Martínez Ayala. Latorre responded laconically that the case will be investigated.