Court of Accounts rejects action, ratifies fine against nursing home

Paraguay's Court of Accounts has rejected an appeal from the El Ceibo nursing home, upholding a significant fine imposed by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. The administrative sanction, totaling 50 daily wages equivalent to G. 5,381,350, was issued in December 2024 following inspections that revealed multiple infractions.

The Ministry of Health, led by Minister Teresa Barán, applied the fine after administrative inquiries based on inspection protocols from December 2023. These protocols were conducted by officials from the Ministry's Directorate of Adults and the Institute of Social Welfare.

The legal representative for El Ceibo, Orlando René Flecha Galeano, argued that the administrative process was unduly prolonged, exceeding constitutional and legal timeframes for its initiation, processing, and conclusion. He contended that this procedural delay should have led to the dismissal of the case, rather than a ruling on its merits.

However, the state's representatives, including Attorney General Rubén E. Gaona and delegate Gabriela Pozzoli Cuevas, successfully argued for the rejection of the appeal. They asserted that the fine was a direct consequence of the confirmed violations, effectively dismissing the nursing home's claims of procedural impropriety.