Paraguayan Comptroller General Summoned Amid Allegations of Illegal Royalty Payments to Mayor

A Paraguayan congressman has called for the Comptroller General, Camilo Benítez, to be summoned to explain the alleged illegal disbursement of royalties to the mayor of J. Augusto Saldívar, Diego Alonso. This request comes nearly a month after initial solicitations, with the summons now scheduled for tomorrow morning. Mayor Alonso, who belongs to the Liberal Party (PLRA), recently secured a victory in his party's primary election, positioning him to seek re-election.

According to reports, Congressman Adrián “Billy” Vaesken raised concerns that Benítez, despite prohibitions in Law No. 6784/2021, authorized payments to Alonso's administration. This law explicitly forbids releasing funds to mayors who deny council members their per diems, a measure intended to prevent the use of funds as leverage against opposition councilors fulfilling their oversight roles.

The timing of the summons is particularly contentious. Critics argue it is deliberately late, potentially aimed at shielding Benítez from difficult questions following a controversial report from his office. This report examined the finances of President Santiago Peña, with the Comptroller's office stating it found no irregularities, despite allegedly omitting analysis of Peña's significant economic growth period between 2017 and 2023.

Furthermore, the Comptroller's office has faced criticism for failing to explain how President Peña could finance a mansion in San Bernardino valued at $900,000, even without possessing the property title. The current summons also coincides with the Senate initiating the process to elect a new Comptroller for the 2026-2031 term, as Benítez's current mandate expires on November 1st, and he is eligible for re-election.

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The Municipal Mayor will be responsible for ensuring non-discrimination in the mentioned payments; in case of such discrimination, the Ministry of Finance will proceed to withhold Royalties from Binational Entities transferred to the affected municipality as long as this irregular situation persists.