“When I committed to resign, I assumed that an investigation was being conducted against me, but I have not received any information from the prosecutor’s office indicating that I am being charged,” said Mr. Velasquez during a press conference he gave in Asuncion.
Paraguayan Vice President Hugo Velazquez, targeted by the US State Department for corruption, on Thursday reversed his decision to resign, saying he had decided to stay in office and defend his innocence.
“When I committed to resign, I assumed that an investigation was being conducted against me, but I have not received any information from the prosecutor’s office indicating that I am being charged,” said Mr. Velasquez during a press conference he gave in Asuncion.
Hugo Velázquez, 54, Paraguay’s vice president for four years when he was elected on the Colorado (R) party ballot alongside President Mario Abdo Benitez, saw sanctions imposed last week by the US, which accuses him of “acts of significant corruption”.
According to a statement from the State Department, a close associate of Mr. Velasquez offered a bribe — the amount exceeded one million dollars, according to the American embassy in Asuncion — to a public official in order to obstruct an investigation into the vice president’s financial interests.
The vice president, his associate and members of their families are now barred from entering the US.
In response, Mr. Velasquez maintained his innocence, expressed his intention to defend it, but announced that he would resign the vice presidency within days, to avoid damaging the image of the head of state or the Colorado party.
“Many people asked me to review my decision,” Mr. Velasquez emphasized yesterday, judging that it should not “go down in history that a vice president resigned due to corruption.”
“My resignation was what I decided to do assuming that a process had been initiated”, but the prosecution “has absolutely nothing against me”, he insisted in a combative tone. The US charges “allege attempted corruption. I would like to know who is the public official we tried to corrupt and which is the file in which I have a ‘financial interest’,” he added. He also said that no investigation is being conducted even by the US authorities.
The case caused a political earthquake in Paraguay. Mr. Velazquez was set to contest Colorado’s nomination in December to be his candidate in the 2023 election. Last week, as he pledged to step down, he also said he would withdraw his candidacy. Yesterday, he said that his decision is valid.
In July, the US also announced a ban on former Paraguayan President Horacio Cartes (2013-2018), accusing the tobacco businessman-turned-politician of corruption and ties to “foreign terrorist organizations.” The person concerned rejected the accusations, which according to him are “non-existent and unfair”.
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