Paraguay: Prosecutor General says 'no one is excluded' in IPS corruption probe

Retirees and insured members of Paraguay's Social Security Institute (IPS) are pressing the Prosecutor General's Office to investigate administrative council members implicated in a significant financial loss.

Members of the National Union of Retirees of Paraguay (UNJPy) met with Prosecutor General Emiliano Rolón Fernández, urging him to include council members from the periods of former presidents Vicente Bataglia and Jorge Brítez in the ongoing criminal investigation. Bataglia and Brítez are already facing charges of malfeasance related to a G. 60 billion loss stemming from a failed modular operating room construction project at the Central Hospital.

While the project was approved and executed under their leadership, the case prosecutor, Julio Ortiz, did not indict the council members, arguing they were not the "ordering parties" of expenses, unlike the presidents. This distinction has drawn criticism from the affected retirees and insured individuals.

In response to the pressure, Prosecutor General Rolón Fernández assured the UNJPy representatives that "no one is excluded" in criminal matters and that prosecutors will act based on the evidence gathered. The UNJPy presented a note expressing their support for the investigations and reiterating their demand for a thorough inquiry that includes the council members if evidence warrants it.