On March 2, Juan Carlos Ozorio resigned from his bench after it was revealed that he had links with criminal groups. The case became public knowledge after a journalistic investigation carried out by cyberactivist Alfredo Guachiré.
His resignation from the Lower House occurred in the morning hours. While at noon he presented his resignation to the Board of Directors of the San Cristóbal Cooperative.
From the National Institute of Cooperativism (Incoop), the entity in charge of supervising the cooperatives, announced an intervention of the entity, after the disclosure of the audios. However, in his supervisions he never detected any anomaly.
What is striking is that a photograph was recently leaked where Pedro Löblein, head of Incoop, is seen sharing a table with Ozorio during a political rally.
REIMER
Edwin Reimer, national deputy for the ANR (chartist), expressed that he was not surprised by what happened to his deputy colleague and cooperative member. He stated that there had been rumors for a long time that Ozorio was linked to drug trafficking.
“I was not so surprised, there were already rumors a long time ago that he was involved in issues that should suddenly be investigated. Incoop did not play its role of control as they should. They had data and they knew that. I blame Incoop for not having fulfilled its function of supervision and control”, he expressed.
He stressed that the role of Incoop is too important, due to the principle of self-control of cooperativism. And he questioned that Löblein’s work is not enough.
“We know that the cooperative principles are self-help, self-management and self-control. The fact that the cooperatives control themselves has a great deficit. Because of a cultural issue that makes it difficult for us to control ourselves. Maybe in other countries in Europe or Japan, where the institutions are stronger, if they work”, she pointed out.
The deputy affirms that, in Germany, for example, the self-control of the cooperatives is even stronger than the control of the Government.
“You have to think seriously about modifying Incoop’s charter to make it a stronger control institution. The president and the council are judges and party. Paraguay is not mature enough. Institutions are not mature enough for this to work,” he stated.
GALEANO
Regarding the Erico Galeano case, he stated that he is seeing how events unfold.
“There is a measurement of forces whose frictions are going to harden in the electoral year. I see it as positive that with these differences things come to light that are not and well and with this there is a cleaning up at the level of politicians, “he said.
QUIÑÓNEZ
Regarding the political trial of Sandra Quiñónez, she stated that it would be difficult for them to see the votes to achieve the impeachment.
“It’s not about the (causal) arguments. It is a measurement of forces. If it was at another time, without the electoral background, the reality would have been different,” he concluded.
LOBLEIN
We tried to communicate with Pedro Löblein, head of Incoop, however, he replied that he was traveling through San Ignacio Misiones and that he could not speak for it.
