The oral trial of Hernán David Rivas is entering its final stage, with the Public Prosecutor's Office's arguments scheduled for September 21 and the decision set to be read on September 24 at 1:30 p.m. at the Sentencing Court. After the closing statements, judges María Fernanda García de Zúñiga, Juan Carlos Zárate and Yolanda Portillo are expected to deliberate between a conviction and an acquittal.
A former senator from the Colorado Party (ANR), linked to former President Horacio Cartes's Honor Colorado movement, Rivas exercised his constitutional right to remain silent and will not testify as the proceedings conclude. The case concerns the suspected use of an irregular university degree, which led him to leave the Senate.
The latest testimony was given by Éver Ortiz Torres, who said he met Rivas while studying law in Ciudad del Este between 2009 and 2015. He said he remembered the former senator from classes held three times a week, but was unable to identify subjects, professors or exams they took together.
Ortiz Torres said he recognized Rivas years later at a Colorado Party political gathering in Fernando de la Mora held before the pandemic. Questioned by the judges about the identification, he said he mainly remembered the defendant's face and ears, and described him as “thin.”
The testimony also raised questions about Ortiz Torres's own academic background. He said he had completed a law degree, submitted a monograph on extradition in 2016 and studied engineering in San Lorenzo in 2015 to accompany his brother. He also said he turned to a former university employee to obtain the diploma and personally handled its validation at the Ministry of Education and Sciences.
Prosecutor Patricia Sánchez said the Public Prosecutor's Office is considering asking for the case records to be sent to the criminal prosecution service to investigate possible false testimony. She said the statements contained contradictions, but avoided naming anyone or saying in advance whether there had been deliberate intent or simply an error before the closing arguments.
Article 242 of Paraguay's Criminal Code provides for up to 10 years in prison for intentional false testimony. In the negligent form, when there is no intent, the penalty can be up to two years or a fine. Any investigation will depend on the court's assessment of the evidence and the rules of rational evaluation applied to the testimony.