Corte Suprema de Justicia

Attendance fell from 32 to 19 as Rafael Filizzola sought reconsideration; Dionisio Amarilla defends the declaration concerning the court’s delay.

The Banco Atlas–Conmebol case has been stalled since April while the court considers a recusal. The Senate approved a statement expressing concern about the delay and, in a separate vote, requested information from MITIC about the Paraguay Gigante campaign.

Hernán Rivas’s eight-year first-instance conviction, which remains appealable, could strengthen former judge Tania Irún’s constitutional challenge, which points to a discrepancy between his written opinion and decisive vote on the JEM. Mario Varela says he changed his position and backed Rivas’s departure from the JEM’s leadership, while prosecutors foresee new investigations.

Lawyer Mauro Barreto accused the Public Prosecutor’s Office and courts in Ciudad del Este of an alleged illegal-fee scheme, without presenting evidence or independent investigations, and criticized alleged privileges and protection among Supreme Court justices.

The Ciudad del Este Trial Court sentenced eight police officers to between seven and 12 years for the double homicide of Alex Ortiz Estigarribia and Gloria Espínola Cáceres, who died after a pursuit of Carlos Cato Cabrera, while two officers were acquitted and Jaime Javier Ramírez Brítez was not tried at this stage.

The National Unified Registry (RUN) presented the Digital Cadastral and Property Registration Certificate, whose issuance through the Sigre system begins October 1, while the gradual digitization of about 70 million pages will incorporate digital signatures and face challenges such as file cleanup and the assessment of overlapping titles.

Senator Rafael Filizzola said the opposition would block any possible impeachment of independent Supreme Court justices, while defending judicial reforms based on institutional criteria and concrete grounds.

Paraguay’s Public Prosecutor’s Office prioritizes the theory that Hugo Javier González fell after becoming unwell but is keeping open the possibility of an assault while awaiting tests and forensic examinations; his cellmate reaffirmed the account, and the defense ruled out a targeted attack.

According to reports by Última Hora and El Nacional, Paraguay’s Criminal Appeals Court rejected the defense appeals and upheld the convictions of three former police officers for torturing political prisoners between 1976 and 1978. Fortunato Laspina and Eusebio Torres received 25 years, while Manuel Alcaraz received 20 years.

Attorney Lalo Gómez (Eulalio Gómez Batista) told El Observador Radio TV that political tentacles directly influence judicial decisions in Coronel Oviedo and the Caaguazú department, causing poor administration of justice, and alleged that Freemasonry exerts even broader influence over courts, lower courts, the Supreme Court of Justice and Paraguay’s Public Prosecutor’s Office, supposedly having already been denounced by Justice Minister Manuel Ramírez Candia when he was superintendent of the local judicial district.

The Chamber of Deputies declared the protection of Médanos del Chaco National Park a matter of national interest, while a proposal to allow the exploration of possible hydrocarbons in the area remains under consideration, opposed by the MADES environment ministry and the Paraguayan Indigenous Institute.

A 20-year-old Paraguayan woman was rescued by Brazil’s Federal Police in Marechal Cândido Rondon after being lured to Brazil by a false job offer and taken to a brothel, while authorities investigate those responsible and possible other victims.

Hugo Javier González remains in serious condition and on a ventilator at Itauguá National Hospital after reportedly being found unconscious in his cell bathroom at 11:12 p.m., while the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Internal Affairs unit investigate the case; there is no footage from inside the area.

The National University of Asunción’s Law School opened a preliminary investigation into alleged attempts to alter grades after chats surfaced mentioning requests to pass students and lists of names, including student representative Alejandro “Tratito” Ovelar, while the authenticity of the messages and whether any changes occurred remain to be established.

Raúl Latorre said Hernán Rivas presented himself as a lawyer to represent the Chamber of Deputies on the JEM. Hugo Estigarribia said a final conviction could prompt an examination of decisions if Rivas’s vote was decisive.

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.

Victims of the “Mafia de los Pagarés” called for impeachment proceedings against Paraguayan Supreme Court justices, alleging irregularities and a lack of progress on the constitutional mechanism because of alleged complicity between Parliament and the judiciary.

A total of 1,605 escribanos take the examination on September 1 to compete initially for 92 vacant notarial offices in a process organized by the Supreme Court of Justice, with optical-scanner grading followed by an assessment of academic merits and curricula vitae.

The Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court unanimously rejected Gianina García Troche’s habeas corpus petition and upheld her pretrial detention in proceedings over alleged drug trafficking, related crimes and money laundering.

Lawyer and activist María Esther Roa, a member of the Coordinadora de Abogados del Paraguay and Somos Anticorrupción Paraguay, accused the Public Prosecutor’s Office and ministers of Paraguay’s Supreme Court of failures and possible favoritism. She cited officials’ salaries and family ties—including María Verónica Lina Sienra Bertón, Analía Carrillo and relatives of Carolina Llanes—compared corrupt judges with members of the First Capital Command (PCC), and advocated structural reform with more resources and protection for investigators.

Paraguay’s attorney general and the Association of Prosecutors asked for preventive protection for Verónica Valdez and Jorge Arce after an exchange with Arnaldo Giuzzio during his trial. Giuzzio denies that he threatened them, describing the exchange as a forceful complaint about the handling of allegations involving former president Horacio Cartes.

Environmental organizations and citizens protested a bill by lawmaker José Rodríguez that would change protections for Médanos del Chaco National Park to allow mining and hydrocarbon extraction, risking contamination of the Yrenda aquifer, Indigenous communities and biodiversity, while the Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development recommends rejecting it.

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.

Minister Llanes proposes centralizing communication for Paraguay's Judiciary, an initiative critics view as shielding information and emerging amid influence peddling accusations against her son.