Deputy Johanna Ortega alleged in the Chamber of Deputies that there were suspected charges without tax receipts and a lack of traceability for funds at the Municipal Center for Business Promotion (CEMUPE), in Sajonia, Asunción. The lawmaker said she visited the site accompanied by a public notary after receiving reports about payments for courses, workshops and room rentals.
During the session, Ortega presented two receipts for G. 110,000 given to course participants. She said the documents were ordinary receipts, not tax invoices. The deputy also said an employee told users they could pay in cash or transfer the amount to a personal bank account using an alias.
“People are charged at a municipal establishment, but taxpayers are not given tax invoices,” Ortega said. Criticizing the use of a private account to receive money that would belong to the municipality, she described the practice as a “bribe” and said that “under the law, it is a bribe.” The allegation, so far, does not establish that money was diverted or that there was criminal liability.
Ortega said CEMUPE director Larissa Benítez had not denied the delivery of the receipts or the transfers. According to the account presented to the floor, an employee explained that this was the procedure because the center does not have its own collection point and that the proceeds would be transferred monthly to the Municipality of Asunción in a single payment. In the deputy’s view, this model makes it difficult to know when the money comes in, how much is collected and whether the full amount reaches public coffers.
The lawmaker announced that she would request information from Asunción Mayor Luis Bello, of the Colorado Party (ANR), who is linked to the Honor Colorado faction led by former President Horacio Cartes. She advocated creating a collection structure able to issue tax invoices directly and record payments in the Revenue Collection System (SIREC), the municipal system used to control these revenues.
The allegation also concerns room rentals. Ortega cited budget code 1480, “CEMUPE rentals,” and code 1150, referring to fees, enrollment and advisory services. The General Municipal Tax Ordinance No. 198/25, in force in 2026, provides for rooms of approximately 20 square meters for selected entrepreneurs, with contracts lasting no more than 24 months and no possibility of extension. According to the deputy, however, some occupants have remained at the site for more than 10 years, and the rental receipts would also not be valid documents.
The courses and workshops mentioned charge between G. 50,000 and G. 100,000. CEMUPE has a history of cooperation with the National Service for Professional Promotion (SNPP) and the National System for Job Training and Skills Development (Sinafocal), Paraguayan vocational-training institutions. According to the data presented by Ortega, instructors are selected by partner private companies; half of the proceeds would go to those teachers and the remainder would stay with the center.
The case follows an earlier allegation, also brought before the chamber, concerning parallel collections at the Directorate of Consumer Protection of the Municipality of Asunción. The Chamber is expected to review the requests for information and any steps toward an investigation.