Wife and mother of deputy Esteban Samaniego under house arrest for delaying tactics

Patricia Corvalán, the mayor of Quyquyhó and wife of controversial deputy Esteban Samaniego, has been placed under house arrest with an electronic monitoring bracelet. Judge Osmar Legal issued the order due to repeated procedural delays, known as "chicanas," aimed at avoiding a preliminary hearing in a case involving the alleged embezzlement of over G. 1.1 billion from municipal coffers.

Also facing house arrest and electronic monitoring are Blanca Álvarez, the mother of Deputy Samaniego, and Ruth Mercedes Medina Yegros, the current candidate for mayor of Quyquyhó for the Colorado Party. Both are accused in the same case, which investigates "lesión de confianza" (breach of trust).

Businessman Andrés Alfredo Arrúa Brítez and municipal officials Manuel Olazar Duarte and Carlos Aurelio Bareiro Bogarín have also been ordered to house arrest with electronic monitoring. These individuals are implicated in the investigation into the diversion of municipal funds from Quyquyhó during Esteban Samaniego's tenure as mayor in 2015.

Despite the accusations against fourteen individuals, Deputy Esteban Samaniego has so far evaded accountability as his parliamentary colleagues have not approved his removal of immunity. The Public Ministry requested the case proceed to oral and public trial in December 2024, but the accused have continuously used procedural tactics to postpone the preliminary hearing.