First modification:
Hugo Velázquez, vice president of the Paraguayan government, and one of his close friends, Juan Carlos Duarte, were accused of “a significant level of corruption” by the United States and were banned from entering the country. Velázquez announced that he will leave office and also his presidential aspirations for 2023.
Two more names went on to join the United States’ ‘Engel List’, which brings together people the United States considers to be corrupt. This is Hugo Velázquez, the vice president of Paraguay, and his partner and friend Juan Carlos Duarte.
The United States ambassador to Paraguay, Marc Ostfiel, revealed this Friday, August 12, at a press conference that the United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, obtained enough “credible information” to accuse the second-in-command of the Paraguayan government.
Blinken himself spoke on Twitter: “Paraguayan Vice President Hugo Velázquez and his partner Juan Carlos Duarte will not be able to enter the United States because they are involved in significant corruption. We remain committed to democracy and the accountability of corrupt officials.”
Today the @StateDept designated Paraguayan Vice President Hugo Velazquez and associate Juan Carlos Duarte ineligible for entry to the US for involvement in significant corruption. We stand committed to supporting democracy and promoting accountability for corrupt officials.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) August 12, 2022
After the news was known, Velázquez announced his resignation from the position of vice president and also his resignation to become the candidate of the ruling Colorado Party for the 2023 presidential elections.
According to the politician, he leaves the candidacy immediately and the Vice Presidency in a week to have time to “leave the house in order.”
The allegation: a million dollar bribe
The information provided by the United States is that Velázquez tried to bribe public officials through Duarte to obstruct a judicial investigation that would go against the politician’s financial interests.
In an interview with the Paraguayan media ‘ABC’, Velázquez rejected the accusations and claimed not to have “the faintest idea” about the complaints or about the investigation that he allegedly wanted to obstruct.
“It’s a big lie (…) That never happened,” he said.
Ostfield stressed that “the designation” of Velázquez on the ‘Engel List’ “has nothing to do with politics” and recalled that it is a tool to “combat corruption and organized crime, regardless of political affiliation, wealth or personal connections.
In addition to Velázquez and Duarte, the accusation affects several relatives and relatives of both who will not be able to enter the United States either. Among them is Velázquez’s wife, Lourdes Sarmiento, deputy attorney general.
Who are Velázquez and Duarte for Paraguayan politics?
Hugo Velázquez is a 55-year-old lawyer and politician who has served as Vice President of Paraguay since 2018 in the conservative government of Mario Abdo Benítez. He had previously been a parliamentarian and regional attorney general.
In June 2022, he applied with the Republican Force platform for the Colorado Party primaries to opt to be the presidential candidate for the elections to be held in 2023.
Juan Carlos Duarte is one of his closest friends and associate. He currently works as the legal adviser to the binational entity Yacyretá (EBY), a position from which he will be dismissed, the company announced. He had also been a prosecutor for Alto Paraná.
Duarte and Velázquez had been at the center of controversy in the past for appearing in a photo in 2016 on a yacht with Walid Amine Sweid, a man accused of financing the armed group Hezbollah.
The inclusion in the ‘Engel List’ of both comes less than a month after the United States also accused former Paraguayan President Horacio Cartes (2008 – 2012) of corruption.
With EFE and local media
#vice #president #Paraguay #resign #entering #corrupt #list
