Former Paraguayan Senator Erico Galeano, sentenced to 13 years in prison for money laundering and criminal association, awaits the Appeals Court's decision on an appeal that could determine whether he will be held in pretrial detention. The case has been stalled since the defense filed a motion for reconsideration with a subsidiary appeal against the summons for a hearing to impose precautionary measures.
The first-instance judges Paublino Barreto, Inés Galarza, and Juan Dávalos rejected the appeal, automatically sending the case to the Appeals Court. Meanwhile, Galeano remains free, but with the possibility of imminent imprisonment.
Prosecutors Deny Yoon Pak and Silvio Corbeta requested the pretrial detention of the former lawmaker, arguing that he lost his privilege of jurisdiction by resigning from the Senate. The defense, led by lawyers Ricardo Estigarribia and Luis Almada, claims that the summons for the hearing is unnecessary, as the court had already determined that Galeano would serve house arrest upon leaving office.
Amid the impasse, the Supreme Court of Justice rejected a preventive habeas corpus filed by the defense, stating that Galeano's imprisonment would not be illegal. President Santiago Peña distanced himself from the case, declaring that the matter had already been sufficiently debated.
Galeano, for his part, described his trial as a "legal and political lynching" and denied any connection to drug trafficking. "My link to drug money has not been categorically demonstrated," he said.