Judge Humberto Otazú ruled that former mayor of Ciudad del Este, Miguel Prieto, will face a public oral trial in the so-called Tajy Case. The judicial decision came after three former collaborators from the municipal administration admitted to the facts attributed to them by the prosecution. The former employees Maggi Garinha, Nelson Segovia, and Cirle Ramírez opted for conditional suspension of proceedings, thus avoiding the defendant's bench.
Prosecutor Silvio Corbeta, from the Specialized Unit for Economic Crimes and Anti-Corruption of the Public Ministry, stated that the acknowledgment of facts by the three accused reinforces the solidity of the accusation. "For us it has a positive impact because it demonstrates the solidity of our prosecutorial accusation," declared Corbeta, who estimates the damage to the municipality at 306 million guaranis. The magistrate granted the alternative resolution after the defendants confirmed, in a preliminary hearing, that the acts of breach of trust occurred as described by the prosecution.
Prieto is accused of breach of trust, self-serving administration, and criminal association for alleged misappropriation of funds during the 2020 pandemic. The investigation alleges that he simulated food purchases, directed tenders to a company linked to his partner, and led a structure to facilitate acts of corruption.
In response, legislators from the Yo Creo party, led by Prieto, held a press conference to denounce what they call "political persecution." Senator Rubén Velázquez criticized the exclusion of an audiovisual piece of evidence that the defense considers fundamental: a video that would show the operation of a municipal bakery during the pandemic. Velázquez argues that the material contradicts the accusation that supplies were never delivered, questioning: "If the supplies didn't exist, how were the breads produced and distributed?".
The lawmaker also contested the change of venue for the trial to Asunción, alleging that this hinders the defense, since more than a hundred witnesses would have to travel from Ciudad del Este. He maintained that the former employees who admitted the facts did not confess guilt, but only their participation in administrative acts.
Parallel to the judicial progress, the Yo Creo party strengthened its international presence with the official launch of a coordination office in Argentina. The event, held at the Club Atlético Deportivo Paraguayo in Buenos Aires, was led by Senator Velázquez and sought to organize the Paraguayan community residing in the neighboring country, with the goal of expanding political participation of compatriots abroad.