MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Paraguay: Peña appoints official under investigation for fraud

The fraud investigation against Flores Benítez is still ongoing, according to the prosecution

In a controversial move, Paraguayan President Santiago Peña appointed Bella Rosa Flores Benítez as the new Deputy Minister of Family Farming. The new official faces fraud, falsifying public documents, and criminal association charges from Prosecutor José Godoy after she was accused of selling a 165-hectare property in 2021 that was not hers.

The buyers found in 2023 that the property, located in the district of Unión, in the department of San Pedro. was already registered to someone else and did not belong to either Flores Benítez or Ramón Benítez Mercado, the person who allegedly gave her power of attorney for the sale.

The indictment was reportedly filed on June 18, 2025, and the case is still under investigation. The new Agriculture Minister, Carlos Giménez, has also faced allegations of corruption from his time as Governor of San Pedro.

Flores Benítez's predecessor, Rossana Ayala, has been removed to “take on other duties,” it was explained.

Prosecutor Godoy belongs to the Criminal Unit No. 3 of the Santa Rosa del Aguaray Regional Office.

The complaint was filed by attorneys Adalberto Soto Narváez, Marcos Antonio Sanabria, and Nelson Fernando Sanabria, representing Mr. Anderson Fernandes Silva.