The mayor of Ciudad del Este, Miguel Prieto, called the press, on the morning of this Monday (19), for a Collective interview in the Ciudad Nueva neighborhood.
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Last Friday (16), the Comptroller General's Office (CGR) of Paraguay requested intervention in Prieto's administration, arguing irregularities. At the time, Camilo Benítez, head of the CGR, also requested a similar measure against the city of Asunción.
Paraguay's CGR questions, among other procedures, the use of public resources in the campaign Sustainable Christmas (Sustainable Christmas), promoted by the city government of Ciudad del Este. For controller Benítez, there were expenses outside the norm and without transparency.
Miguel Prieto, however, questioned the accusations. “The controller said he is not aware of the project, but we sent him a report on October 16, 2024, detailing each aspect,” said the mayor.
For the CGR, there was a lack of transparency in the transfer of resources to residents' committees that participated in the execution of the project in Ciudad del Este. Prieto argued, however, that the transfers complied with legal regulations.
“Why make a law that allows residents’ committees to carry out works if they then use this law against the managers?” he asked. “They talk about administrative errors, but there is no misappropriation of funds. And then they ask for intervention. This is state terrorism.”
Complaints in Ciudad del Este
Since taking office in 2019, the mayor of Ciudad del Este has already accumulated 49 legal complaints against his government actions. For Prieto, the lawsuits are part of a strategy to wear him down and prevent his candidacy for the Presidency of the Republic in 2028.
Leader of an independent movement, Prieto was the first politician not affiliated with the Colorado Party to win an election for mayor in Ciudad del Este. All other elected officials since the founding of the municipality in 1957 were affiliated with the Colorado Party.
The Yo Creo movement intends to present Prieto as a “third way” option for the presidency of Paraguay in 2028. The country’s politics have been dominated for decades by the Colorado Party and its currently weaker rival, the Authentic Radical Liberal Party.
