Five leaders of the trucking guilds in Paraguay were arrested on Wednesday on charges of allegedly demanding from the government a “large sum of money” in exchange for not calling for protests and road blockades.
This was announced at a press conference by the Minister of the Interior, Federico González; and the anti-corruption prosecutor Liliana Alcaraz.
The detainees are the president of the Paraguayan Federation of Truckers, Ángel Zaracho, and the head of the Paraguayan Federation of Autonomous Transport Workers, Roberto Almirón. Leaders Vicente Medina, Juan Friedelin and Julio César Solaeche were also arrested.
The identities of these individuals were not initially disclosed by the officials, but were released by local media and confirmed after their appearance before the Public Prosecutor's Office.
González said he filed a complaint with the Public Prosecutor's Office due to the “extortion to which the government was being subjected by truck drivers who had been closing roads and roads.” He refrained from specifying names or the amount allegedly demanded.
For his part, Alcaraz explained that there was a demand for a “large sum of money” in exchange for not carrying out “measures of force”.
Hours later, he said, citing the complaint made by the minister, that there was an initial request for one million dollars, a figure that fell to $300,000.
This Wednesday, Alcaraz added in a video released on the public networks of the Prosecutor's Office, the sum that was delivered as part of the operation was $50,000.
The official explained that during the investigation they requested judicial authorization to film and record “personal interviews” that González held with five people.
According to the official, one of those involved was detained at the Ministry of the Interior, after allegedly receiving money that had been previously authenticated.
The other detainees were in a parking lot.
For the prosecutor, this would be a “punishable act of extortion”, which can carry a sentence of up to five years in prison.
At a press conference, other leaders of the truck drivers apologized for what happened and disregarded what had happened.
However, the president of the Central Workers' and Transport of Paraguay, Juan Villalba, anticipated that they will not back down “with what happened” and did not rule out the possibility of demonstrations starting Monday.
The detainees appeared on Wednesday afternoon before the Public Prosecutor's Office, but refrained from testifying.
Upon leaving the Prosecutor's Office, Zaracho told reporters that “in due course” they would prove their innocence and called for due process to be respected.
Paraguay was the scene, in mid-March, of protests and blockades of roads demanding a reduction in fuels, given the rise in prices in recent months.
(With information from EFE)
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