Paraguayan Senate panel to report judges accused of delaying promissory-note cases

Paraguay’s Senate investigation into the so-called “Promissory Note Mafia” is expanding its focus from alleged fraud to the conduct of judges and proposed changes to judicial notifications.

The special committee, chaired by Senator Rafael Filizzola of the PDP, met to review two bills and coordinate follow-up actions against the scheme. The network allegedly carried out a mass and systematic fraud through executive proceedings in peace courts, affecting thousands of people, mostly public employees, teachers and retirees. Credit houses, finance companies and collection firms allegedly kept promissory notes even after victims had fully repaid their debts.

Several peace judges, court clerks and other people linked to the case have already been charged. The committee is pursuing legislative changes intended to prevent the alleged method from being repeated. It supported amendments approved by the Chamber of Deputies to a bill requiring creditors to return a promissory note once a debt has been paid. The proposal also establishes sanctions for those who fail to comply. Sponsored by Senator Derils Osorio of the ANR, the measure now returns to the Senate for review after previously receiving initial approval there in December 2025.

The committee also asked lawmakers to postpone for 15 days a bill on electronic notifications and electronic management of judicial proceedings. The bill was introduced by governing-party senators Basilio Núñez and Natalicio Chase.

Francisco Segura, an adviser to the committee, strongly criticized a provision that would allow court notices to go to generic email addresses. He said victims could fail to learn about lawsuits filed against them. Segura also questioned why the provision appeared among the bill’s supplementary measures at the end of the text. He said email notification of this kind does not exist anywhere in the world and that the first in-person notice in any judicial process is “sacred.” Filizzola separately sought authorization to file another complaint against magistrates accused of delaying cases in favor of victims.

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Sacred.