Paraguayan courts have formally charged Elías Cabral, who presented himself as coordinator of Older Adults, with the crimes of abandonment and incitement to commit illegal acts. The complaint was filed by prosecutor Carlos Acuña of Criminal Unit 2 of Fernando de la Mora.
According to the investigation, Cabral allegedly passed on false and incomplete information about the universal pension program to elderly people from various regions of the country. He claimed that everyone over 65 would be automatically entitled to the benefit, omitting the gradual entry mechanism provided for in the law enacted in December 2024.
Convinced by the promise, the elderly camped for over a month in front of the Ministry of Social Development in Asunción. After mobilizing them, the leader allegedly abandoned them to their fate, knowing that payment would not be immediate and that the wait would be in vain.
The prosecutor explained that the last wave of enrollments, in April, included people who turned 68 by November of last year. The annual quota of 30,000 new entries has already been filled, leaving only spots for a reduced group.
In addition to Cabral, Pedro Ismael Ferreira Verdún and Rodrigo Andrés Piatti Morínigo were also charged with disturbing the peace. The hearing to impose precautionary measures is scheduled for May 28 at 8 a.m.