Contraloría General de la República

The Public Prosecutor’s Office charged former National Anti-Drug Secretariat (SENAD) technical intelligence director Mauro Ruiz Díaz and his ex-wife, Andrea Karina Martí, over suspected illicit enrichment and money laundering after they moved G. 2.8 billion with no justified origin, and requested the freezing of accounts and assets; Ruiz Díaz is also under investigation over alleged leaks linked to the A Ultranza PY case, with no conviction having been issued.

The Ministry of Economy and Finance transferred more than G. 2.33 trillion to Paraguayan departments and municipalities during the first eight months of 2026. A spreadsheet lists no transfers for Asunción and five other municipalities, but does not itself detail the individual reason in each case.

Paraguay’s Chamber of Deputies will again review a bill that could allow different financial products from the same institution to be counted separately, while IPS investments in Ueno Bank exceeded the legal limit described in the sources.

Paraguay’s Chamber of Deputies completed only eight of the year’s 41 sessions because of a lack of quorum, leaving bills unvoted, and is preparing changes to its rules to enforce pay deductions and penalize absent lawmakers.

Rumors of possible impeachment proceedings against Supreme Court justices are dividing Paraguay’s Colorado Party, although no formal proposal exists. Senator Derlis Maidana said Santiago Peña denied any government initiative, while Mario Varela acknowledged discussions that could involve Liberal senators, Juan Bartolomé Ramírez and a possible political move after the municipal elections.

Paraguay’s Chamber of Deputies reelected Camilo Benítez with 64 votes and elected Armindo Torres to the leadership of the Comptroller General’s Office, the constitutional body that oversees public resources, assets, budgets, and the State’s economic and financial activities. The opposition criticized the placement of Colorado Party members in both top posts, while Camilo Pérez leads election surveys with incomplete available methodology.

The trial of Miguel Prieto and 10 other defendants in the Tía Chela case, concerning the purchase of 25,000 food kits in 2020, will continue on September 7 after the first hearing ended without the presentation of the main evidence.

An audit by the Comptroller General’s Office presented to Congress on August 31 found payments exceeding G. 50 billion to more than 11,000 deceased retirees at the IPS, alongside a G. 624 billion discrepancy in inventory, while public doctors continue mobilizing for better wages and working conditions.

The Supreme Court of Paraguay pays a salary exceeding 22 million guaranis per month to the wife of one of its ministers, who holds the position of director-general, without having a record of her education in the official files, which has drawn strong criticism from legal experts who call the appointment irregular and ethically questionable.

Paraguay's Ministry of Education is creating a blockchain-based cryptographic diploma registry following an internal scandal that revealed hundreds of forged documents.

Paraguay's Public Prosecutor's Office has charged nine people, including two former presidents of the IPS, for an alleged embezzlement of 61 billion guaranis related to a never-completed modular operating room project, amid a crisis at the institution where the Comptroller General's Office points to much larger losses and beneficiaries demand broad investigations.

President Santiago Peña celebrates the expansion of the Zero Hunger program, which serves over one million students, while Senator Ignacio Iramain criticizes the lack of reliable measurement of its real impact, pointing to operational failures and the absence of a baseline for evaluation.

Judge Humberto Otazú decided to send former Ciudad del Este mayor Miguel Prieto and six other defendants to trial on charges related to food purchases during the pandemic that, according to the Public Prosecutor's Office, caused a loss of G. 306,188,500. Prieto denies any wrongdoing and says the case is politically motivated.

The Comptroller General's Office of Paraguay has concluded that the asset growth of the former mayor of Asunción, Óscar "Nenecho" Rodríguez, is justified by his legal income, despite his resignation amid corruption scandals and being charged with criminal association.

The Senate and the Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic of Paraguay have signed an agreement to investigate a scheme of fake academic diplomas, focusing on three areas: lack of accreditation, irregular courses, and direct forgery.

The former mayor of Tomás Romero Pereira reported a G. 1.1 billion asset loss to the Comptroller General's Office, while the Public Prosecutor's Office is investigating a G. 9 billion loss to the municipality and the Chamber of Deputies has kept requests to intervene in the city hall stalled for three years.

Paraguayan President Santiago Peña has advanced his anti-corruption plan with support from the United Arab Emirates, focusing on digitalization and transparency to optimize public spending.

The Vázquez Group, whose main bank received billions in public deposits from the social security institute IPS, expanded rapidly during the Peña administration, while the bank defends the legality of the operations.

The Paraguayan Ministry of Education and Sciences (MEC) has identified 13 public servants involved in irregularities within the diploma system, with 130,000 suspicious actions and 283 employees under investigation, while the Senate expands its inquiry to include 20 educational institutions, including the Universidad Sudamericana.

Congress President Bachi Núñez defends the appointment of fellow party members to the Comptroller General's Office, arguing it will break a cycle of convicted former comptrollers from the opposition. However, critics point to contradictions in his discourse on integrity, citing his recent support for figures under investigation and the ruling party's strategy of occupying key positions.

Opposition Senator Rafael Filizzola accuses the Peña administration of a lack of control and impunity in corruption cases, citing as examples the irregular deposit of IPS (the social security institute) funds in Ueno Bank, the alleged leniency towards former Seprelad (Secretariat for Money Laundering Prevention) head Óscar Boidanich, the shelving of complaints regarding Itaipú, and the president's acquittal in an asset investigation.

The Public Prosecutor's Office has requested that President Santiago Peña inform them whether he authorized a multi-million dollar out-of-court settlement for the social security institute IPS, as stated by the institution's former legal director, José González Maldonado, who is under investigation for breach of trust.

The mayor of Valenzuela, Mirtha Fernández, is on trial for embezzling G. 1.2 billion in a scheme involving phantom public works, which implicated municipal officials and construction companies.

Two council members and the former municipal accountant confirmed in a hearing that the mayor of Jesús de Tavarangüe, Víctor Garay, diverted approximately G 2.44 billion to a "parallel commission." The funds, which came from laws for cultural heritage, were used for substandard public works without a bidding process, according to the Public Prosecutor's Office's accusation of breach of trust.