Scandal at UNA Law School: Preliminary Investigation Ordered After Chats Allegedly Expose Grade-Fixing Scheme

The Faculty of Law and Social Sciences at Paraguay's National University of Asunción has ordered a preliminary investigation after leaked WhatsApp conversations allegedly revealed a scheme to influence exam results and secure academic favors.

The decision followed complaints by the faculty's student center and was formalized in a document signed on September 6 by Dean Carlos Gustavo González Morel. The dean assigned the investigation to the institution's legal director, Guillermo Abdala, who must gather the relevant reports in the name of transparency and protection of the university's interests.

The scandal erupted after screenshots from WhatsApp groups shared among students, delegates and university leaders circulated publicly. The messages allegedly refer directly to Alejandro “Tratito” Ovelar, the son of Senator Silvio Ovelar. Fellow students reportedly identify him as one of the key figures involved in arranging the approval or failure of exams through influence and direct requests to professors at the university's Santísima Trinidad campus.

The leaked conversations also allegedly implicate prominent members of the teaching staff. They refer to former members of the Supreme Court, public defenders and current Supreme Court justices, reportedly classifying which professors could or could not be approached to alter examination grades.

The student center filed a formal complaint with the Public Prosecutor's Office after the messages emerged. Despite the order to begin the internal inquiry, university authorities have not yet specified the scope of the administrative measures that could follow.