In a case highlighting tensions between citizen activism and political power in Paraguay, Ricardo Torres Peña, a resident of Mariano Roque Alonso, has emerged victorious after a three-year legal battle initiated by Mayor Carolina Aranda (PLRA). According to a report by ABC Color, Torres, frustrated by poor road conditions and lack of transparency, formed a citizen group, requested public information that was denied, organized marches, and filed complaints with the media, the Comptroller General's Office, and the Public Prosecutor's Office.
Instead of addressing the grievances, Mayor Aranda filed a criminal defamation complaint against Torres on August 22, 2022, represented by lawyer Marco Antonio Vázquez Román. Torres rejected a conciliation offer on November 1, 2022, and the case proceeded to oral trial. However, over four preliminary hearings spanning three years, the mayor's legal team never appeared. On August 12, 2025, Judge Nancy Karina Adorno Mendoza dismissed the case, acquitting Torres.
Torres also alleges that the mayor's allies pressured his private-sector employers, costing him job opportunities. “I had to unnecessarily explain things to executives of the companies where I worked as a manager, because of these irresponsible and disgraceful politicians,” he told ABC Color. He added, “They are used to doing this, with the sole aim of trying to silence you and make you afraid. What they didn't know is that they were messing with a completely different person, who had already analyzed them from end to end and had the exact numbers of every guaraní they spent in 2019, 2020 (pandemic), and 2021 (post-pandemic).”
Following his acquittal, Torres filed a civil lawsuit against Mayor Aranda seeking 850 million guaraníes (550 million for lost income and 300 million for moral damages). “This is for the labor harm caused by the record of her complaint,” he said. Torres hopes his case encourages other citizens to demand accountability: “If I were an ordinary citizen, I might have given in. We managed to let the public know how these politicians operate and that there is a legal path to claim your rights and stand as a good citizen.”