The Supreme Court of Justice of Paraguay has unblocked the process known as the "golden detergent" case, which investigates the embezzlement of funds in the Municipality of Asunción. The decision, from the court's Criminal Chamber, rejected a request for disqualification filed by the accused, César Daniel Ojeda Figueredo, against two judges on the Court of Appeals responsible for the case.
The appeal questioned the impartiality of judges Mario Camilo Torres and Silvana Luraghi. In a ruling dated July 23, 2026, the Supreme Court found that the defense did not present concrete circumstances or evidence that could undermine the magistrates' independence, thus resolving an issue that had been stalled for ten months.
With this decision, the Court of Appeals can now analyze the appeal filed by the former mayor of Asunción, Óscar "Nenecho" Rodríguez, and Ojeda Figueredo. They are challenging a lower court ruling that confirmed the admissibility of the charges from the Paraguayan Public Ministry, keeping the preliminary hearing for both men pending.
The case involves the allegedly irregular purchase of cleaning products, including a French detergent brand named "Alka DDS," between 2020 and 2021. According to the prosecution, there was overpricing and simulated deliveries, causing a total loss of G 1,808,956,000 (approximately 1.8 billion guaranis) to municipal funds, money that came from the National Emergency Fund.
Prosecutors Marlene González, Jorge Arce, and Silvio Corbeta Dinamarca have charged Rodríguez, Ojeda, and fifteen other individuals with the crimes of breach of trust and criminal association. For one of the accused, Wilfrido Cáceres, considered the former mayor's "right-hand man," the case has already been elevated to an oral trial.