Paraguay's Attorney General, Emiliano Rolón Fernández, has reshuffled positions within the Public Ministry. By Resolution 1652, Deputy Prosecutor Soledad Machuca was transferred from the Economic Crimes and Anti-Corruption Unit (UDEA) and the Money Laundering area to the Specialized Unit for Human Rights, Diffuse Interests and Indigenous Peoples' Rights, as well as the criminal units for Execution and Transition. In her place, Deputy Prosecutor Nancy Graciela Salomón took over, while retaining coordination of cases involving clandestine gambling exploitation.
Machuca's departure is marked by a series of questions. Lawyer Esther Roa stated that since her appointment in 2018 by then-Attorney General Sandra Quiñónez, management at UDEA was characterized by “few investigations, scarce indictments and too much impunity.” Roa also criticized the lack of transparency and “disdain” towards civil society and the press, calling for an immediate audit of the period.
Lawyer Federico Campos López Moreira was more incisive, pointing out that, according to him, Machuca allegedly allowed the statute of limitations to expire in the case of former Colorado senator Hernán Rivas, reported in 2020 for alleged use of a fake diploma. According to him, the investigation was only reopened after a new complaint in 2023, when the crime might already have been time-barred. Opposition Senator Yolanda Paredes stated that, according to critics, Machuca acted to “shelve” cases involving political authorities.
Among the cases that remained stalled or were shelved during Machuca's tenure are: the complaint against former president of the Social Security Institute (IPS), Vicente Bataglia, for alleged losses of 1.7 trillion guaranis; the investigation into prosecutors Aldo Cantero and Giovani Grisetti, involved in alleged chats with Horacio Cartes' lawyer; and the cases against former President Cartes himself, for ties to currency exchanger Darío Messer, enrichment and smuggling, all closed with dismissal, according to critics. Also shelved, due to statute of limitations, was a complaint of irregularities in the Villeta municipality, with estimated losses of 1.288 billion guaranis.
Protests in front of the UDEA headquarters have been frequent, with demonstrators criticizing the alleged lack of action against money laundering and corruption cases. So far, there has been no official statement from Soledad Machuca regarding the accusations. At the time of publication, no official response from Soledad Machuca was available.