The Comptroller General of the Republic (CGR) has signaled its intention to punish public officials who fail to submit sworn asset declarations when leaving office. However, lawyer Ezequiel Santagada, an expert on the issue, warns that legislative changes in 2022 drastically reduced the agency's coercive power.
“With the reform of Law 5033, little can be done. The CGR can try to enforce the fine, but it no longer has the authority to order the submission of the declaration or to disqualify the non-compliant official,” Santagada explained. The change was introduced by Law 6919, which took effect in 2022.
According to the lawyer, the positive side is that the new legislation authorized the publication of sworn declarations, increasing transparency. “The negative was removing the Comptroller's power to disqualify those who do not submit the document,” he added.
Santagada notes that, in practice, the sanction is moral: many former officials who omit the declaration no longer intend to return to politics or face other legal problems. “The CGR can still conduct asset correspondence checks based on the declaration made at the time of taking office and on bank data and property records, estimating the person's current assets,” he said.
The sworn asset declaration is mandatory for all public officials in Paraguay, both when taking office and when leaving it. Omission can result in fines, but the lack of disqualification weakens oversight.