MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Paraguay prepares to purge police cadres.

In an atmosphere of growing political tension, Paraguayan president Nicanor Duarte Flores is considering a purge the country's police cadres following alleged “interferences” in efforts to find Cecilia Cubas, daughter of former president Raul Cubas, who had been kidnapped and her body was found this week.

According to reliable sources from the presidential palace, and confirming insistent press reports, "the President is considering a deep purge".

Apparently Mr. Duarte Flores objective is to finish with "untouchable fiefs" in the police cadres, which allegedly hid information and obstructed the investigation to discover the 32 year old woman who was abducted last September and her decaying remains found this week, with death by asphyxia possibly dating back to 30/60 days.

However a Government House spokesperson said that President Duarte Flores confirmed Friday Home Secretary Nelson Mora and Police Chief Commissioner Carlos Zelaya, who had voluntarily resigned following the finding of the body. The purpose of the purge is to "moralize the institution", and recover public opinion credibility.

"The President asked Mr. Mora to remain in his post investigating the case until those responsible for the kidnapping are individualized".

One of the first targets apparently involves Commissar Merardo Palacios the former head of the Police Station in Ñemby, where the body was found in a small chamber built underground a local residence.

Ñemby mayor Blas Lanzon claims police authorities aborted an investigation he ordered into the suspected house, which led to accusations of "police cover up" and Home Secretary Mora revealed that some recordings and phone tapping indicate that several officers involved in the investigation "had a disloyal conduct".

Cecilia Cubas was buried Friday among tears and cries of "Ceci lives!" following an emotional service attended by more than 2,000 people. Nationwide revulsion and dismay followed Wednesday's discovery of her badly decomposed slain body.

Cecilia Cubas was kidnapped September 21 by gunmen who dragged her from her car outside her home in the capital suburb of San Lorenzo. Despite the family's payment in November of a ransom reported by local media to have been anywhere from $300,000 to $800,000, Cecilia remained missing until Wednesday's search of the house in Ñemby.

The Prosecution so far has charged five people in connection with the abduction, most of them from the tiny leftist Free Homeland Party.

The alleged ringleader, Omar Martinez, has been linked by authorities to Colombian leftist rebels, FARC, (Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces) who use extortive kidnapping as one of their main means of raising funds.

The ongoing investigation is being aided by the Colombian government, which is searching immigration records for Paraguayans who entered the Andean nation in recent months. Prosecutors in Asuncion are working under the theory that Free Homeland Party members travelled to Bogotá to receive training from FARC