Senator Ever Villalba presented a formal complaint to the Paraguayan Congress, accusing the Ministry of Public Works and Communications (MOPC) of awarding contracts at prices significantly higher than reference values in 20 analyzed bids. The lawmaker stated that the differences reach 81% in some cases, representing a multi-million loss to the public treasury.
As an example, Villalba cited the bid for the improvement of the road between Yby Pytá and Ybyrarobana. The MOPC's reference price was approximately 24 billion guaranis, but the lowest offer, of about 25 billion, was disqualified. The work was awarded for a value close to 44 billion guaranis. The senator questioned the justification for disqualifying the most economical proposal and warned that, without satisfactory answers, he will take the case to the Public Ministry.
Minister Claudia Centurión, summoned to explain herself, categorically denied the existence of overpricing. She argued that the award criteria prioritize the best conditions for the State, with the evaluation of technical committees and, in many projects, the supervision of multilateral organizations such as the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). Centurión stated that, during her tenure, 121 contracts have been put out to bid and the average variation of awards compared to reference prices has been about 7.9%.
Simultaneously, the minister sought to calm discontent in the Chamber of Deputies, where lawmakers from the cartista bloc – a faction linked to former president Horacio Cartes – were questioning the distribution of resources from a loan. In a meeting, Centurión detailed a financing package for rural roads, explaining that, in addition to a $75 million credit from the IDB under discussion, there are two others under review or approved, totaling $250 million for works in all departments.
The leader of the cartista bloc in the Chamber, Miguel Del Puerto, said he was satisfied with the explanations. Meanwhile, the First Vice President of the House, Hugo Meza, stated that deputies needed more information to ensure an equitable distribution. The $75 million credit bill, which plans to allocate 50% of the resources to the department of Caaguazú, the base of Senator Silvio "Beto" Ovelar, was included on the agenda for a vote.