The Paraguayan Lawyers Coordinator (Coapy) carried out its last activity of the year, which consisted of a demonstration to demand the resignation of Antonio Fretes, president of the Supreme Court of Justice. It was held on Friday in commemoration of the international day against corruption.
The context is as follows; Last Thursday, a journalistic investigation revealed that Amílcar Fretes, son of Antonio Fretes, received US$368,000 in legal fees to delay the extradition process of Mohamad Hijazi. This suggests that Amilcar was chosen, since his father was a member of the Supreme Court of Justice at that time. This payment would have occurred in March of this year, while the extradition occurred in July.
Esther Roa, president of the Coordinadora de Abogados del Paraguay (Coapy), reported that they brought a funeral crate and crosses as a sign that justice in our country is dead.
“That is why we ask for the immediate resignation of Antonio Fretes. He cannot spend another minute presiding over the Supreme Court of Justice, even though he is on leave. And he also presides over the constitutional room. Which is one of the most important rooms that every government has. Where rightly rests our republican democratic system of government,” he noted.
He finally said that Fretes was challenging his own colleagues who asked him to resign.
“Antonio Fretes is a person with a high political waist. He practically spent more than two decades as a member of the Supreme Court of Justice. He did many favors for many court politicians. That’s why the impeachment trial didn’t go through because he has everyone trapped. He gave each one something. To each person who approaches him, from 10 to one he gives something. He has the politicians trapped and on the other hand, the empathy of the people, ”he said.
