The Chamber of Deputies postponed by 15 days on Tuesday its analysis of a bill authorizing the payment of default interest to construction companies for halted public works, following pushback from lawmakers who called the proposal an "assault" on the country's legal system.
The initiative, which had already received partial Senate approval, provides for the disbursement of approximately 100 million dollars in interest, while the state's total debt to contractors exceeds 300 million dollars. The bill sets a cap of up to 9.9% per annum on default interest and establishes that adherents will waive any further claims.
Lawmaker Roberto González of the ANR-Añetete party initially requested an indefinite postponement, arguing that the bill has legal flaws and would alter the agreed-upon terms of public works contracts without the consent of the parties involved. "This project seeks to nullify the agreements made in public works contracts without the consent of the contracting parties," he stated.
Lawmaker Rocío Vallejo of the PPQ also criticized the text sent by the Senate, pointing to a lack of clear limits on the issuance of bonds and the absence of a specific timeframe for interest payments. "I am in favor of paying debts, but we cannot be issuing blank checks like this bill in its original version," she declared.
Lawmaker Miguel del Puerto of the ANR-cartista proposed the 15-day period as an alternative, defending the need for transparency regarding the state's accumulated debts. The approval of this alternative allowed the postponement, but the bill continues to generate disagreements even within the ruling coalition, due to the high fiscal cost its passage would entail.
In addition to the report by the Office of the Comptroller General on the 2024 budget execution, presented by comptroller Camilo Benítez, lawmakers were also expected to analyze in the same session a bill on regulations for the installation and operation of amusement parks in the country.
Paraguay faces a growing liability to construction firms for halted public works, and the debate over authorizing more than 100 million dollars in default interest payments is being closely watched by fiscal observers and the construction sector, which warns of risks to infrastructure continuity and the country's financial health.