Paraguay's Superior Electoral Court (TSJE) not only refrained from reporting the Consorcio Comitia MSA to the National Directorate of Public Procurement (DNCP) for sample tampering but also failed to execute a guarantee of offer maintenance worth approximately $4.6 million, according to an investigation by ABC Color.
The first tender (ID: 460034) for the purchase of 28,000 voting machines had a budget of $92.8 million. The bidding terms required a guarantee equal to 5% of the total amount. After the consortium allegedly altered a sample machine during technical tests, the TSJE canceled the process on August 29, 2025, but did not enforce the bond.
According to the evaluation report, on July 15, 2025, the consortium delivered two boxes—one with batteries and another labeled “accessories.” Two days later, when the accessories box was opened, an unsolicited voting machine was found inside. The consortium claimed it was only a “carcass” to transport a screen. However, with permission to move the item to the testing area, representatives replaced the screen of one of the five machines originally presented in May 2025.
The evaluation committee noted that the bidder “substantially altered the sample,” invalidating the test for that machine. The DNCP's legal directorate, in an April 16, 2026 opinion, stated that the screen replacement “would have had the ability to influence the technical assessment of the committee and, eventually, the direction of its recommendation.”
Despite these findings, the TSJE did not execute the guarantee. Daniel Echagüe, the TSJE's Director of Administration and Finance, argued that “no damage or harm was materialized to the convener” and that the offer was simply rejected. However, ABC Color notes a contradiction: the cancellation itself was based on Article 57(c) of Law 7021/2022, which applies precisely when continuing the process “could cause damage or harm to the contracting parties.” When confronted, Echagüe remained silent.
The consortium, represented by Francisco Pérez Quintana, Juan Pablo Prezzoli, and Nicolás Geraldo Nelson Deane, later won a second tender (ID: 476307) worth nearly $35 million for renting voting machines for the upcoming internal and municipal elections.