Prosecutor accuses lawyer in "promissory note mafia" case of defrauding retiree

Paraguay's specialized prosecutor's unit for economic and anti-corruption crimes has accused lawyer Lourdes Rocío Aranda Benítez of fraud. The prosecutor is seeking a public trial for her role in allegedly collecting on paid-off debts, a practice linked to a scheme known as the "promissory note mafia."

According to prosecutor Luis Piñánez, Aranda Benítez is accused of executing promissory notes for a debt that had already been settled, causing a financial loss of G. 41,163,052 to a retiree from the Hospital de Clínicas.

The retiree, Luciana Bernardet Torres, had been a member of the Asociación Mutual del Hospital de Clínicas (AMUCLIN). In 2018, she was contacted to settle a debt of G. 3,721,000. She paid the amount to Aranda, who was then AMUCLIN's legal advisor, and received a debt cancellation receipt signed by the lawyer. However, on the same day, another document, an "Agreement of Parties," was allegedly created, outlining a payment plan for a slightly higher amount, G. 3,784,944.

Despite the proof of full payment, legal proceedings against Torres were not closed. Five years later, in November 2023, Torres discovered that her savings account at Banco Nacional de Fomento was being debited. She learned that an executive lawsuit had been filed against her in the name of Julia Mabel Acosta Rojas, who had acquired the collection rights originally belonging to AMUCLIN. The claim was based on two promissory notes totaling G. 9,996,203. With accumulated interest, penalties, and costs, the amount demanded ballooned. Ultimately, a civil court ordered the garnishment of a quarter of Torres's retirement benefits to cover the G. 41,163,052 debt.