Write: Luis Allen.
The new US sanction against former head of the Trial Jury of Magistrates Jorge Bogarín Alfonso, along with his friend and San Pedro judicial official Vicente Ferreira, and former Dinac president Edgar Melgarejo, consolidates the objective of show American concern about the lack of independence of the Judiciary with respect to the de facto political and economic power of Horacio Cartes.
The ambassador of the United States, Marc Ostfield, continues to dominate the national political scene, to the point that the public is already wondering if what is behind the intention of “cleaning up Justice” with the successive designations of “significant corrupt”, when also we are at the gates of an election in which the factual power of Horacio Cartes is risking his future.
HC is also not behind the ambassador in terms of mastering the scene, because on Friday, March 24, he made a real “show” on television and on social networks, with his “farewell” from Grupo Cartes, where he returned to present himself as a victim of the Americans and that he took the famous “step aside” in his companies to “defend 5,000 jobs.”
But Horacio made the current situation in which he says “suffer a lot” a real reason to promote a personal image of leadership in the ANR, by not disappearing from the political scene, as is the real intention of the United States Government with the string of measures taken not only against the Colorado incumbent, but also against other characters linked in some way to the maintenance of a system of corruption and impunity that makes national politics a minefield where those who sincerely want a better future for the country have little chance. country, beginning with the independence of the Judiciary.
The new appointments, such as the one issued against the former head of the Jury for the Prosecution of Magistrates (JEM) and current member of the Judicial Council, Jorge Bogarín Alfonso, are intended to warn of the serious consequences for the US of the obstruction of the due judicial process, which must be transparent and fully governed by the broadest legality and adherence to the norms, without obstacles interposed from the political level or the factual power.
“Intrusion” vs. “Intrusion” Chartism
The successive measures of the Northern power border on the red line of “interference in internal affairs”, as pointed out by some Chartist spokesmen and other Colorado legislators who even lashed out at Ambassador Ostfield by trying to morally disqualify him for his declared homosexuality .
But the North American Government strictly follows a political logic when targeting the factual power of HC, since it considers that its national security interests are at stake by linking the Colorado incumbent and leader of the Chartist current, as well as Vice President Hugo Velázquez, nothing less than with the Lebanese terrorist organization Hezbollah, which was declared Washington’s number one enemy.
Ambassador Ostfield reiterated it in the last press conference last week, when he said that it is not about favoring the opposition in the elections, but that whatever the result of the elections, he will work with the winner and new head of government having the same objective of helping to banish corruption in the public administration and impunity in Justice, which are ultimately the breeding ground for border traffic and the ominous financing of international terrorism.
With this clarification, it is expected that, if Santi Peña wins the presidency of the Republic, he will take the same path that the United States embassy has been marking in recent months, where it is clearly established, as an unavoidable condition of relations with the powerful hegemonic power, the reduction and even the disappearance of the marked political influence on Justice.
Santi’s problem lies in the question of whether his mentor Horacio will allow him an “independent” attitude from the Palacio de López in the face of his factual power on 25 de Mayo Street, which he holds with increasing vigor as president of the governing board of the ANR, despite the “painful” US financial sanctions, as Cartes himself acknowledged when asking that they not let go of the hand of the leaders and “hurreros” who went to bring him their voice of encouragement at the new Cartist headquarters where it has become the house of the colorados.
For some analysts, the North American offensive will not end in the new prohibitions to set foot on US territory for exponents apparently of a lower level than HC, but which sound like a reminder of the possible additional measures aimed at removing the Colorado incumbent from the political scene, such as the case of an extradition request.
Would it be before or after the elections? It is the great question that floats in the political environment, because if the measure precedes the elections it could have a devastating effect for the ANR, which is currently affected by the lack of credit and must seek resources from anywhere and even digging into obscure sources, given the need to finance the campaign of their candidates and especially for D-day.
Option B of the “Yankees” would be to leave the extradition issue until after the elections, leaving the following measures in accordance with the electoral result, since if the opposition wins it would radically change the situation of Cartes as “marshal of defeat” and forced eventually to resign for this reason, so that the Abdism returns to control the ANR.
But if the ANR wins, it is obvious that Horacio will have his de facto power at the top and in a position to become the true strongman of Paraguayan politics, capable of decisively influencing the Supreme Court itself to prevent his extradition to the United States. .
More than ever, the result of an election will mark the “new course” of the country, removing HC from the scene or leading it to greater power. Now it is explained why he resigns from his companies and not from the ANR, because by liquidating the Cartes Group and not stepping aside on the political level, the message that Horacio gives to the Americans is that he is now even more powerful despite the financial sanctions, due to the certain fact that he was always more comfortable, like a fish in water, swimming in the dark currents of black money.
Pressure on the Prosecutor’s Office and the Court
Almost at the same time that the sanction against Bogarín Alfonso, Ferreira and Melgarejo was made known, the General Prosecutor’s Office now in charge of Emiliano Rolón dusted off the investigations against Horacio Cartes that had been shelved for years by the former Attorney General Sandra Quiñónez, and which make in relation to complaints against HC for cigarette smuggling, money laundering and false statements, in addition to the immobilized case also on the case of the Iranian plane with terrorist links.
Rolón removed prosecutor Osmar Legal from the investigation, who had expressed last year that he would not charge Horacio without having strong arguments, even more so because he was a “high-profile” person.
The pressure on the Justice rises in tone to reach a trial against Cartes, eventually, but everything will finally depend on a majority in favor in the Supreme Court, both for a final sentence and for the approval of an extradition at the request of the North American Government.
The rapid appointment of the new Minister of the Court, Gustavo Santander Dans, is also another reason for pressure for the Judiciary to become independent of the political tutelage and reign of the factual Chartist power. The senatorial decision now goes to the consideration of the President of the Republic, who could also expeditiously give his opinion in favor of the election of the aforementioned member of the appeals chamber.
Due to the opposition initiative, there was an ultra-quick decision in the Senate, which took Chartism by surprise, to later achieve the unanimity of the senators, which indicates that even HC had to support the election of Santander Dans so as not to be cornered in a few votes that they would denote their increasing loss of influence in the middle of the electoral context.
The new minister of the Court thus appears with sufficient support to undertake the task of accompanying the new winds of renewal that are beginning to blow in the Judiciary, encouraged by the strong current coming from the North.