Law students demand reinstatement of professor facing corruption charges

Students at the National University of Asunción's (UNA) Law Faculty have protested against Dean Carlos González Morel, demanding the reinstatement of Wilfrido Cáceres as an auxiliary professor. Cáceres, who previously served as chief of staff for Asunción's former mayor Óscar “Nenecho” Rodríguez, was suspended preventively on June 1 after reports surfaced that he was teaching commercial law despite facing judicial proceedings for alleged corruption.

The accusations against Cáceres include illicit enrichment and money laundering, stemming from his time as a municipal official. He is also implicated in a case known as "detergentes de oro" (gold detergents) concerning irregular purchases made during the pandemic. His wife is also accused in the first case, while Rodríguez faces charges of criminal association and breach of trust alongside Cáceres in the second.

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We want Professor Doctor Wilfrido Cáceres to be back at the head of our course. He presented himself as an excellent teacher.

Despite these legal challenges, Cáceres had been teaching as an auxiliary professor. The student protest occurred as Dean González Morel was leaving the faculty building. Students surrounded him, expressing their desire for Cáceres' return, with one student stating, "We want Professor Doctor Wilfrido Cáceres to be back at the head of our course. He presented himself as an excellent teacher."

Another student argued that the university's "supposed image care" should not be a reason to remove a professor from his cátedra. The students also reported that their attempt to deliver a note to the dean was unsuccessful, as they were not received even at the entrance desk. The university's decision to suspend Cáceres has sparked a debate about the balance between a professor's judicial standing and their role in academia.

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the supposed image care of the Faculty cannot be a reason to take the cátedra away from a professor.