Paraguay's Interior Minister Enrique Riera on Wednesday defended President Santiago Peña's stance regarding former senator Erico Galeano, convicted and imprisoned for ties to drug trafficking. In an interview with Monumental 1080 AM radio, Riera said Peña chose not to criticize Galeano to maintain governability, a necessary political cost to pass structural reforms.
“If the president had a permanent attitude of questioning members of the Chamber for individual conduct, he would not have achieved even half of what he did: create the Ministry of Economy, pass the police law, achieve investment grade, or approve the budget,” Riera said.
The minister acknowledged that the decision causes political wear, with the public demanding a firmer stance. However, he noted that in the public sector, senators are elected by citizens, and the president must act prudently, respecting the independence of the judiciary.
Peña, for his part, had already said that the case of Erico Galeano is the responsibility of the judiciary, which “did its job.” During a visit to Concepción, the president reiterated that he always asked the judiciary to fulfill its role in the process.
Riera also considered it reasonable that the Honor Colorado caucus defends one of its members while the judicial process is still ongoing, without external interference.