MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Paraguay: Congresswoman says drug money runs in all political parties

“It is not only (the case of former President Horacio) Cartes,” Amarilla explained

Congresswoman Celeste Amarilla from the Authentic Radical Liberal Party said “money from drug trafficking exists in all parties, although this criminal influence is more prevalent in the Colorado Party.”

Amarilla said political leaders in lower positions gathered money to later reach Congress and warned that the authorities in the anti-drug area “know who the big drug traffickers are.”

”I want all party members involved in drug trafficking to be arrested,“ she went on. ”It was the only thing we needed, to have drug traffickers, to finish destroying the party,” Amarilla said about her own political movement.

Amarilla's words came after the arrest of the son of former liberal Congressman Elvio Balbuena, accused of leading a drug trafficking operation.

Amarilla said that many leaders who reach seats on the Senate or the Lower House do so “financed by corrupt activities, including drug trafficking or the bribes they get for manipulating tenders” from administrative positions in municipalities or governorates.

“Most of them start out as mayors or governors; there they gather the money for their Senate campaigns,” she stressed.

Amarilla also said druglords then recover their “investments” by having the legislators they supported pass laws that benefit their interests. “It is not only (the case of former President Horacio) Cartes; there are several others...,“ she added.

Congresswoman Amarilla believed that if councilors from small towns had been arrested with drugs, it would suggest that ”there are more important drug traffickers” at large. She also said the National Anti-Drug Secretariat (Senad) knows who the “big drug traffickers” are, but does not act against them and covers them up.

“Giuzzio himself (former Senad head and now Minister of the Interior, Arnaldo) was one of the most important complainants while being a member of parliament; he is now a friend of those investigated,” she explained.