Leaders of the Yo Creo party accused the Public Prosecutor’s Office of trying to keep Miguel Prieto out of the 2028 presidential race through a criminal case involving alleged irregularities in works linked to the Hospital of Ciudad del Este. The statements were made on September 8, but were not accompanied by public evidence demonstrating political coordination behind the investigation.
Denis Darío Dioff, the Alianza Recuperando el Paraíso candidate for mayor of Ayolas, said they “categorically want to annul him, remove him from the race so they can have a clear field.” The leader said the growth of the former mayor of Ciudad del Este concerns the Asociación Nacional Republicana (ANR), or Colorado Party, which is currently in government, and accused the sector of using the justice system as a “political club.”
Lawmaker Walter García, also from Yo Creo, intensified the criticism and described the alleged use of public institutions to retaliate against opponents as “state terrorism.” The expression is the legislator’s political assessment, not an established judicial conclusion in the cases.
The cited case investigates payments of more than 11.2 billion guaraníes to the Local Health Council, allegedly made without complying with planning mechanisms required by regulations. Prieto has already been charged with breach of trust. García is also listed as a defendant, although his parliamentary immunity currently prevents the case against him from proceeding.
During a preliminary hearing, prosecutors requested the conditional suspension of proceedings for Lucía Lisboa, the council’s secretary; Salem Esgaib, its treasurer; and members Karen González, Freddy Martínez, Sonia Barrios and Hugo Benítez. García said the shortcomings identified in the indictment would represent about 757 million guaraníes, a figure far below the alleged loss of 11.2 billion. The sources consulted do not detail how that difference was calculated or whether a court ruling confirms it.
The accusations come amid opposition reorganization ahead of the 2028 general elections. Dioff also projected a local contest in Ayolas for the municipal elections on October 4 and said the alliance has a coordinated structure, while describing internal divisions within the ANR. His political assessment of cross-support among Colorado candidates was likewise not accompanied by independent evidence.
The candidate linked the electoral dispute to Ayolas’s economic crisis and questioned why the resources administered by the Yacyretá Binational Entity, the Argentine-Paraguayan entity responsible for the hydroelectric plant, have not translated into an improved quality of life locally. “Ayolas is suffering a crisis like never before,” he said.