Puerto Casado: Judicial Delay Benefits Cartista Hilario Adorno, Who Remains Out of Jail

Ten months after his corruption conviction was confirmed, former Puerto Casado mayor Hilario Adorno remains free, benefiting from excessive judicial delays. Adorno, a member of the ANR-HC party, was sentenced to three years and eight months in prison for using public funds to pay for a quota on his private pickup truck.

In October 2025, the Court of Appeals upheld the conviction. However, Adorno filed a constitutional challenge on October 30, 2025, seeking to halt his imprisonment. In December 2025, ministers Víctor Ríos, Gustavo Enrique Santander Dans, and César Diesel acknowledged the challenge met formal requirements. Despite this, no resolution has been issued to determine Adorno's fate.

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the presentation met the formal requirements required by the Civil Procedure Code and Law 609/1995

The prosecution's handling of the case has also drawn scrutiny. Prosecutor Teresilde Fernández, described as close to the Adorno clan, agreed with the conviction but argued the sentence should be only two years. Fernández, who took over the case in March 2025, had initially requested a conviction for breach of trust and a two-year sentence, a move critics say was intended to keep Adorno out of jail.

Original investigations and accusations were led by prosecutor Joel Cazal. However, the Adorno family allegedly sought to remove him from the case and replace him with Fernández to secure a lighter sentence. The investigation began after eight council members reported that Adorno had purchased a Mitsubishi L200 pickup truck in 2022. While the vehicle's documentation listed Adorno as the owner, the payment was reportedly made with municipal funds from Puerto Casado.

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she is in agreement with the conviction, but maintained that the penalty should only be two years