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🇵🇾 Paraguay /Crime & Justice

Paraguayan Prosecutors Investigate Injuries to Jailed Ex-Governor Convicted of Corruption

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire Official statement Under investigation
  • Paraguay’s Public Prosecutor’s Office opened an investigation into injuries suffered in state custody by former Central governor Hugo Javier González, who is serving a 10-year sentence for diverting pandemic recovery funds.
  • González underwent successful surgery for pressure caused by two brain hemorrhages and remains in intensive care with a reserved prognosis.
  • Officials released prison security footage after speculation that guards or other people had beaten him, while doctors said the cause of the injuries remains undetermined.

Paraguayan prosecutors have opened an investigation into how former Central governor Hugo Javier González suffered serious injuries while in state custody. González, who is serving a 10-year sentence for diverting funds intended to revive the economy after the COVID-19 pandemic, remains in intensive care.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office said it had urgently requested judicial documents concerning his health. González was taken to a hospital near the La Esperanza Industrial Penitentiary, formerly the Tacumbú National Penitentiary, where he was serving his sentence. He was first treated at Hospital del Barrio Obrero in Asunción for a head injury and other wounds, then transferred to the National Hospital of Itauguá.

At this moment it cannot be determined.

· Miguel FerreiraThe hospital director said doctors could not yet establish precisely how González sustained his injuries.

Doctors operated successfully to relieve pressure caused by two brain hemorrhages. Hospital director Miguel Ferreira said the injuries might have resulted from a fall after a stroke, but stressed that “at this moment it cannot be determined” precisely how they occurred. “The investigation will surely determine that,” Ferreira added. González’s prognosis remains reserved.

Justice Minister Rodrigo Nicora released security-camera footage from outside González’s cell to address what he called speculation. “There was a great deal of speculation throughout the day: that a group entered, that prison officers beat him, that a group of people assaulted him,” Nicora said.

The investigation will surely determine that.

· Miguel FerreiraFerreira said the ongoing inquiry would establish the cause of the injuries.

The footage shows González’s cellmate asking prison guards for help before González is taken urgently to hospital. Nicora said the cellmate reported waking to the sound of a heavy impact in the bathroom. He found González on the floor, conscious but babbling and unable to make himself understood.

González led Central department from 2018 to 2022, when the departmental council removed him after he was charged in the case known as the COVID-19 funds scandal. He surrendered to authorities on August 4, saying he had nothing to hide and knew an arrest warrant had been issued. The investigation alleges that he diverted about 5.105 million, but the supplied report ends before specifying the currency or providing further details.

There was a great deal of speculation throughout the day: that a group entered, that prison officers beat him, that a group of people assaulted him.

· Rodrigo NicoraThe justice minister explained why he released security footage from outside González’s cell.
About this summary

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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