Latorre on Hernán Rivas: “He Presented Himself as a Lawyer and Sought Appointment to the JEM”

Raúl Latorre, president of Paraguay’s Chamber of Deputies, recalled in court how Hernán David Rivas Román presented himself as a lawyer and sought a seat representing the legislature before the Magistrates’ Jury, known as the JEM.

Latorre testified remotely in Rivas’s oral trial. He said that in 2020, when the Chamber decided to change its representatives to the JEM, Rivas was a member of the Colorado Party’s A caucus and declared his intention to serve as one of the Chamber’s representatives. The caucus decided to support the nomination, and Latorre acted as its spokesperson.

The Chamber ultimately appointed Rivas with votes from Colorado lawmakers and the opposition, Latorre said. Asked whether the lower house checked the legal qualification Rivas claimed, Latorre said the Chamber has no archive of academic credentials. Holding a university degree is not a requirement for serving as a deputy or senator, he explained.

Latorre also said the Chamber’s role ended when its representative took the oath before the autonomous institution. In this case, he said, verifying Rivas’s status as a lawyer fell to the Magistrates’ Jury.

The controversy surrounding Rivas prompted a parliamentary initiative to strengthen suitability checks for legislative representatives to bodies such as the JEM, Latorre said. The Chamber has approved the bill, which is now before the Senate. The trial is continuing before a panel made up of judges Juan Carlos Zárate Pastor, María Fernanda García de Zúñiga and Yolanda Portillo.

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David Rivas was a deputy from the Colorado Party’s A caucus. He presented himself as a lawyer and expressed his intention to be one of the Chamber of Deputies’ representatives before the Magistrates’ Jury, and the caucus decided to support that appointment.