Luis Bello

An intervention into Óscar Rodríguez’s administration documented G. 512 billion in municipal bond resources routed through the single-account system and said more than 92% went to current expenses. The separate G8 issue raised G. 360 billion for eight storm-drainage projects.

As of September 24, Paraguayan municipalities owed G. 52.9 billion to Caja Municipal, the municipal employees’ pension fund, with G. 36.1 billion attributed to Asunción. The accounting also detailed debts owed by Concepción, Caacupé, Horqueta, Choré and other municipalities, including overdue contributions, defaulted payment agreements and debts under litigation.

Days before municipal elections, Asunción’s collective agreement provides for costly benefits and was fast-tracked under union pressure, while reports differ over claims that it was driven by electoral motives. Camilo Pérez criticized the agreement and outlined proposals for management and neighborhood public works.

The Asunción Municipal Council sent a collective agreement providing for salary increases and benefits to its Legislation Committee. The opposition called it an electoral campaign favoring Camilo Pérez, while Humberto Blasco questioned the agreement’s legitimacy and warned of possible legal consequences and difficulties for the next administration.

A second consecutive failure to reach a quorum in the Asunción Municipal Council kept the collective agreement from formally entering consideration and prompted unions to demand a new session as soon as Friday, threatening an indefinite work stoppage. A workers’ representative also announced that, if council members do not attend, the movement could close the municipal headquarters and launch a general strike, ten days before the elections, which some sources say are scheduled for October 4.

Deputy Johanna Ortega alleged in the Chamber of Deputies that CEMUPE may be collecting bribes, issuing charges without tax receipts and failing to trace funds after visiting the site with a public notary. She also questioned rents for rooms occupied for more than 10 years, contracts that cannot be extended, payments to instructors selected by partner private companies and an earlier allegation of parallel collections at the Directorate of Consumer Protection.

Renovation work on 16 blocks of Azara and General Díaz streets in Asunción has reached its final stage, with painting and road markings underway after asphalt repairs and the application of hydraulic concrete under the ASU 400 Blocks Plan.

Asunción continues to face service problems, debt and allegations under Luis Bello, while Óscar Pérez’s intervention at the Roadways Directorate approaches two months; ABC Color also reports on the “Mafia del asfalto” case, allegations still without convictions against officials from previous administrations, including Constantino “Tino” Ayala and Carlos Morel Gadea, US$22.2 million in overdue interest and partial payments without a global agreement, as well as the diversion of G. 512 billion in bond proceeds for G8 projects during the administration of Óscar “Nenecho” Rodríguez, and says Camilo Pérez and the councilor slate represent the continuation of the Colorado Party model of the National Republican Association (ANR), a party linked to Horacio Cartes, despite their rhetoric of change.

Asunción bondholders will decide on September 16 whether to seek legal action if the municipality does not prove that it paid the G. 41.101 billion promised for the previous day, while accumulated debt and unfinished drainage works expose the administration’s financial crisis.

Asunción Mayor Luis Bello replaced a director convicted of corruption in less than a day after a union ultimatum threatening to halt garbage collection and political pressure.

Asunción Mayor Luis Bello appointed Víctor Basualdo, convicted of breach of trust and criminal association in a scheme to divert public funds, as director of Urban Services, prompting a motion of censure from the Municipal Board.

A criminal complaint filed by a city councilor and a lawyer alleges that the fuel diversion scheme known as the 'asphalt mafia' persists in the Asunción Municipality with new methods, even after an administrative intervention.

Councilor Álvaro Grau denounces irregular cleaning contracts in the administration of Luis Bello, criticizes the slowness of the Public Prosecutor's Office in investigating embezzlement from the previous administration of Nenecho Rodríguez, and reports judicial progress in the "golden detergent" case.

The administration of Mayor Luis Bello faces criticism in the City Council over plans to rent trucks and the lack of public transport, while the municipality announces free festivities for Asunción's 489th anniversary.

Horacio Cartes suggested that Camilo Pérez consider charging vehicles entering Asunción. Soledad Núñez rejected the idea and attributed the municipal crisis to corruption and the alleged diversion of funds under the previous administration.

Residents of the Mbocayaty neighborhood in Asunción are denouncing the halt in the land titling processes by the Municipalidad de Asunción and pressure from Grupo Vázquez to buy their properties, leading city councilors to request official information.

Wholesale merchants at the Mercado de Abasto in Asunción are denouncing the persistence of a structure of corruption, extortion, and severe insecurity, threatening protests if five accused employees are not removed.

The Asunción Municipal Board approved the 2025 budget, which covers both the previous and current administrations, amid criticism from the opposition, which labeled the decision a "whitewashing" of a government targeted by corruption allegations.

Paraguayan police seized gun parts shipped from Miami and declared as electronics at the Luque airport, with suspicion that the final destination was Brazil for criminal factions.

The majority bloc in the Asunción Municipal Board approved a G. 4.5 billion increase for contracts with the Directorate of Vialidad (Road Maintenance), ignoring allegations of materials being diverted to private projects and criticism of overpricing.

The municipality of Asunción, under the administration of Mayor Luis Bello, allocated 90% of the municipal budget to payroll and administrative expenses between January and April 2026, leaving less than 8% for urban infrastructure investments.

Councilman Álvaro Grau described as a "veiled threat" the note sent to the Asunción City Hall by the representative of the municipal bondholders, José Montero, who accepts payment of more than G. 90 billion for the overdue bond debt but reserves the right for creditors to take future legal action.

Taxpayers in Asunción paid US$4.5 million between January and April 2026 for stormwater works that, in most of the capital, do not exist, while only four of the eight promised basins have seen construction begin, and work is progressing slowly due to a lack of financial resources.

Asunción is facing a fiscal crisis following the diversion of more than G. 500 billion from the G8 bond, originally intended for stormwater drainage works, during the administration of former mayor Óscar "Nenecho" Rodríguez. Meanwhile, the current administration under Luis Bello is paying contractors with current municipal revenue, while residents endure poor public services, including potholed streets that cause accidents, inconsistent garbage collection, and chaotic traffic.