The situation of former Central Department governor Hugo Javier González returned to the center of political debate in Paraguay on Tuesday after defense attorney Guillermo Gayoso publicly debunked accounts of a detailed alleged physical assault said to have occurred in prison. The retraction comes amid rising tension in the Chamber of Deputies, where lawmakers are demanding security guarantees for the former official, who remains hospitalized in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Itauguá National Hospital.
Gayoso told NPY television that his client is experiencing "delirious situations" and "seeing ghosts," attributing previous statements to a mental health state compromised by medication and trauma. The lawyer categorically denied that Hugo Javier had been struck with boxing gloves or paid 35,000 guaranís to avoid being killed, as had been circulated by third parties. According to Gayoso, although the former governor can speak with difficulty, his narratives do not correspond to the reality of the facts under investigation.
Speculation about violence gained traction when former Ciudad del Este mayor Miguel Prieto disclosed that Hugo Javier had reportedly claimed he was assaulted during his incarceration. However, the Public Prosecutor's Office maintains the primary hypothesis that the injuries were caused by a fall, supporting this version with eight technical elements already presented. The investigation seeks to reconstruct the former governor's movements before hospitalization but faces obstacles, including the cleaning of the cell where he was held, which may have affected the preservation of physical evidence.
During the legislative session, Deputy Guillermo Rodríguez requested that the State guarantee Hugo Javier's physical integrity, regardless of the circumstances leading to his injuries. He argued that as the former governor regains communication capacity, any information provided must be rigorously cross-checked by competent authorities. Rodríguez warned against prematurely concluding any hypothesis before investigations are complete, highlighting the state's responsibility for the safety of prisoners in custody.
The case exposes the fragility of information circulating during sensitive criminal proceedings in Paraguay. While the defense points to the client's psychological instability to invalidate reports of torture or extortion, the prosecution works to clarify whether there was prison negligence or a domestic accident within the correctional facility. Hugo Javier's clinical evolution will be decisive in determining whether he can provide formal testimony and definitively corroborate or refute the conflicting versions.