Two lawyers were sentenced this week for their participation in the scheme known as the "promissory note mafia," which operated in the former Peace Court of Recoleta. Patricia Adriana Parodi Cantero and Blas Antonio Rodríguez Galeano accepted an abbreviated procedure, admitting the facts attributed by the Public Ministry.
The Specialized Economic Crimes Guarantees Judge, Rodrigo Estigarribia, applied to both the penalty of two years in prison, with suspension of the execution of the sentence for a probationary period of two years. As part of the agreement, Parodi committed to pay a social reparation of 75 million guaranis, while Rodríguez Galeano must pay 88 million guaranis.
Patricia Parodi worked as a lawyer for the San Cristóbal Cooperative and also as a court officer. The prosecution maintained that she presented false reports in 16 cases and acted in 28 files in the court, then headed by former judge Víctor Nilo Rodríguez Acosta. In one of the cases, it is recorded that she registered the execution of payment summons and embargo warrant executions in several cities, including Asunción, San Lorenzo, and Ciudad del Este, all allegedly carried out on the same day and at times impossible to fulfill physically.
Blas Antonio Rodríguez Galeano, in turn, represented the firm SATEC SA and was accused of having promoted cases in 88 files, aware of the falsity of the notifications and reports presented. Both were accused of the crimes of instigation to prevarication and use of public document with false content.
The social reparation amounts were allocated to several institutions. Parodi's 75 million guaranis will be divided between the Acosta Ñu Pediatric Hospital, the San Lorenzo Hospital, the Reina Sofía Maternal and Child Hospital of the Paraguayan Red Cross, and the San Pablo General Maternal and Child Hospital. Rodríguez Galeano's 88 million guaranis will benefit the Gijón Róga Geriatric Residence, the Trauma Hospital, the San José de los Arroyos Volunteer Fire Department, a private individual, and the Bernardino Caballero Neighborhood Lions Club, with a significant portion allocated to the National Police Fugitive Search Department.
The judge considered that the expected sentence in a potential oral trial would not exceed two years, a factor that, combined with the lack of criminal records and the admission of facts by the accused, justified the acceptance of the abbreviated procedure. The suspension of the sentence is conditioned on compliance with conduct rules, such as quarterly appearances before the court and communication of address changes.
Other individuals involved in the same case, including former judge Víctor Nilo Rodríguez Acosta, lawyer Luis Carlos Benítez (husband of Patricia Parodi), and several former court clerks and officers, had their cases elevated to oral and public trial and did not benefit from similar agreements.