The Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies (MITIC) confirmed that it reported only two of at least 14 social media accounts linked to the so-called "dirty campaign" against opposition politicians, journalists, and media outlets critical of the Santiago Peña administration. The information appears in the response sent to the Chamber of Deputies within the legal deadline that expired this week, and was deemed insufficient by lawmakers investigating the case.
Minister Gustavo Villate responded to the information request submitted by independent lawmaker Raúl Benítez regarding contracts signed between the Paraguayan state and the Colombian firm Digimarketing SAS, an agency that spent billions of guaranis on digital ads. Of the 65 ads run on Google and YouTube, 74% were aimed at attacking government critics, while 26% promoted state programs such as Che Roga Pora, Hambre Cero, and Sumar.
In his response, Villate denied any formal ties to Digimarketing but failed to explain how a foreign company funded government advertising without apparent authorization, since platforms like Google and YouTube require government approval to identify content as state advertising. MITIC reported that, through CERT-PY, it filed formal complaints only against the "Despierta Paraguay" and "Sucia Política" pages, ignoring another 12 accounts that operate with the same modus operandi of defending the government and attacking opponents.
The minister also declined to detail spending on social media advertising, stating that the information is already available on the National Directorate of Public Procurement (DNIT) portal. Regarding the possibility of funding through other institutions, such as the binational entities, Villate said that each branch of the Executive Branch independently manages its own procurement and that only they could provide such data.
MITIC's response is viewed with suspicion by lawmakers, since President Santiago Peña himself, Minister Villate, and Deputy Communication Minister Alejandra Duarte Albospino had previously denied any formal ties to Juan Roberto "Jimmy" Villaverde, identified as one of the campaign's coordinators. Documents later confirmed that Villaverde was part of the Presidency's formal communications structure.
To date, MITIC has not responded to a more detailed information request approved by the Senate and submitted by Senator Rafael Filizzola (Progressive Democratic Party), whose deadline has also passed. Filizzola's request included, among other points, a demand for details on "outsourced execution," with information on agreements, arrangements, or indirect execution mechanisms that could have been used to facilitate payments for the digital campaign.