Paraguayan Council Candidate Arrested in Asset Concealment Probe

A candidate for councilor in Luque, Paraguay, Roberto Cubilla Sanabria, has been arrested as part of the "Copia Fiel 2.0" operation. Authorities accuse him of being a central figure in orchestrating the concealment of assets belonging to the late congressman Eulalio "Lalo" Gomes.

Cubilla's political career has been marked by several attempts to secure a seat on the Luque Municipal Council. He previously ran with the Colorado Añetete movement in 2015 and the Frente Independiente de Colorados Luqueños in 2021, but failed to gain sufficient votes. Despite these setbacks, he was appointed Director of Cadastre in November 2021 by Mayor Carlos Echeverría.

This is not Cubilla's first encounter with law enforcement. He was previously arrested and charged in 2002 for alleged connections to car traffickers. His current candidacy is under the "Honor Colorado" movement, with Hugo Farías as the mayoral candidate. Notably, Senator Silvio "Beto" Ovelar, who had previously shared a photo with Cubilla on social media, removed it after the arrest.

Cubilla declared a net worth of G. 2.775 million upon assuming his role as Director of Cadastre. However, his current municipal employment status is unclear, as he does not appear on the Luque Municipality's payroll or the public employee registry. Mayor Echeverría has stated he is investigating Cubilla's employment status with the Human Resources department.