Paraguay is preparing to present unprecedented asset forfeiture rulings during the upcoming evaluation by the Financial Action Task Force of Latin America (Gafilat) on the country. The information was disclosed by Supreme Court Minister and head of the Technical Criminal Office (OTP), Carolina Llanes, during a plenary session of the court.
According to the magistrate, the Judiciary is conducting intensive monitoring and evaluation of the specialized criminal justice system for economic crimes, organized crime, and public corruption. These actions are part of a criminal policy driven by the country and fit within the specialized criminal justice system implemented since 2020, aiming to gather and analyze results achieved by specialized judicial bodies from both quantitative and qualitative perspectives.
One of the points highlighted by Llanes was the achievement of unprecedented rulings related to asset forfeiture in all its forms, considered fundamental tools to combat the financial structures of organized crime and money laundering. "This monitoring is carried out not only regarding the status and progress of cases but also concerning the application of innovative legal instruments, such as asset forfeiture in all its modalities," the minister stated.
The magistrate explained that the OTP tracks cases linked to economic crimes, organized crime, public corruption, and money laundering, offenses covered under Law No. 6379/2019 and the Paraguayan Penal Code. As part of this process, a specialized office was created to register and monitor assets subject to precautionary measures and potential forfeiture, providing technical support to judges and court clerks for the proper registration of assets during criminal proceedings.
Llanes also identified strengthening the application of criminal provisions related to predicate and derivative offenses, especially in money laundering, as a current challenge—an area that had been noted in previous evaluations. The minister reported that ongoing meetings have been held with judges and other justice system operators to coordinate actions and unify criteria. "It is a joint task of the entire judicial system of Paraguay," she said.
The unprecedented rulings on asset forfeiture, along with mechanisms for securing and recovering assets, stand out as some of the main achievements Paraguay expects to showcase during the Gafilat evaluation, considered key to measuring the effectiveness of national policies against money laundering, corruption, and organized crime.