MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

US Anti-Corruption envoy back in Paraguay

Nephew had been in Asunción in October of 2022

US State Department Global Anti-Corruption Coordinator Richard Nephew arrived in Paraguay Sunday in his second visit to the South American country, Asunción's Última Hora reported. Starting Monday, he is to meet with government officials “to analyze current challenges and identify other areas of possible collaboration.”

 Nephew's visit concurs with that of Alexander Márquez, regional attaché of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). His first trip to the country was in in October 2022, during the Mario Abdo Benítez administration. He met with then-Interior Minister Federico González and Attorney General Sandra Quiñónez, as well as with lawmakers and private businessmen. At the time, he underscored Paraguay's role as a strategic ally of the US in the fight against corruption.

“Our government has made it clear that combating corruption is a core national security interest and a priority of U.S. foreign policy,” Nephew told the US Embassy in Paraguay after stops in Ecuador and Peru as part of his South American tour.

On Feb. 26, 2023, the OFAC imposed sanctions against former President Horacio Cartes and his companies. Cartes had already been declared “significantly corrupt” on July 22, 2022, for which his visa and those of his children were canceled. Months later, the same measure reached Hugo Velázquez while he was still Vice-President under Abdo.