Two closely watched trials in Paraguay resumed on Monday, September 14: that of former Interior Minister Arnaldo Giuzzio, accused of aggravated passive bribery, and that of former Ciudad del Este mayor Miguel Prieto, accused of alleged breach of trust.
The case against Giuzzio, which began at 7 a.m. at the Asunción Judicial Branch, is in its final phase, with documentary evidence being presented and read. The hearing had been interrupted on September 7 after attorney Gilvi Quiñónez cited health problems.
The charges were filed on August 16, 2023, by anti-corruption prosecutors Diego Arzamendia and Jorge Arce. The Public Prosecutor's Office alleges that Giuzzio, who headed the Interior Ministry until February 2022 during Mario Abdo Benítez's government, maintained contacts with and favored the interests of Marcus Vinicius Espíndola Marqués de Pauda, identified in the charges as a Brazilian drug trafficker.
Evidence cited in the indictment includes WhatsApp conversations and alleged meetings between the two. The accusation also states that Giuzzio used a pickup truck attributed to Marcus Vinicius during a holiday in Brazil between December 2021 and January 2022. The former minister denies the accusations, and the court will issue its decision after examining the evidence and the defense's arguments.
At 8 a.m., the trial of Miguel Prieto, former mayor and leader of the Yo Creo party, resumed in Ciudad del Este. The session includes the reading of the order opening the trial and the opening arguments of the Public Prosecutor's Office and the defense.
Known as the Tía Chela Case, the proceedings investigate an alleged directed-purchasing operation carried out in 2020 during the health emergency caused by COVID-19. According to the charges, the city government directly purchased 25,000 food-basket kits for vulnerable families from a small neighborhood grocery store that gave the case its name.
The Public Prosecutor's Office estimates that the operation caused losses of more than 2.13 billion guaraníes to municipal funds. The amount and the individual responsibility of those accused will still be examined at trial; until a final judgment is issued, the accusations remain subject to judicial challenge.