Five leaders of teamster unions from Paraguay was arrested on Wednesday, accused by their country’s government of demanding “substantial amounts” in exchange for not organizing protests or pickets.

The main defendants are the president of the Federation of Paraguayan Truckers, Ángel Zaracho, and the head of the Federation of Autonomous Carriers of Paraguay, Roberto Almirón. Leaders Vicente Medina, Juan Friedelin, and Julio César Solaeche were also arrested.

Although the officers did not first reveal the identities of the detainees, first the local media confirmed and then their appearance in the Prosecutor’s Office that they were. Although they showed up at the Public Ministry in the afternoon, refrain from witnessing.

The announcement was made through a press conference given by the Minister of the Interior, Federico González, and by anti-corruption prosecutor Liliana Alcaraz.

González said he filed a complaint with the Public Ministry because of “extortion where the Government is subject to truck drivers closing routes and roads. ” However, he did not state the names or the amount allegedly demanded.

For his part, Alcaraz explained that had a request for a “substantial amount of money” in exchange for not taking “coercive measures”.

A few hours later, he pointed out, citing the complaint made by the minister, that there was an initial request for a million dollarsa figure reduced to 300,000 dollars.

On Wednesday, Alcaraz added in a video broadcast on the Prosecutor’s Office’s social networks, the amount delivered as part of the operation was $ 50,000.

The officer explained that during the investigation they requested judicial authorization to film and record “personal interviews” that González conducted with five people.

According to the official, one of the people involved was detained at the Ministry of the Interior, after receiving money that had previously been verified. The other defendants are awaiting the end of the illegal operation in a parking lot.

For the prosecutor, this would be a “punitive act of extortion”, which could lead to a sentence of up to five years in prison.

At a press conference, another chief of truck drivers apologized for what happened and denied any kind of relationship to what happened.

However, the president of Central Obrera y Transporte del Paraguay, Juan Villalba, expects that they will not back down “from what happened” and He did not rule out the possibility of demonstrations starting Monday.

Upon his departure from the Prosecutor’s Office, Zaracho assured the press that “at that time” they would prove his innocence and asked to respect due process.

Paraguay was the scene in mid -March of protests and pickets to demand a reduction in fuel prices, due to rising inflation in recent months.

With information from EFE

DB