The mayor of Nueva Asunción will go to oral trial over a complaint for slander, defamation and insult

The mayor of Nueva Asunción, Juan Manuel “Juancho” Vera, will face an oral trial in a case for slander, defamation and insult brought by brothers Derlis Cristaldo Almirón and Manuel Cristaldo Almirón, the latter a mayoral candidate, according to ABC Color.

According to the publication, the complainants maintain that the municipal chief accused them on different occasions of being smugglers during campaign events and also through videos broadcast in national media outlets.

Still according to ABC Color, the central episode in the complaint occurred on August 26, 2025, when the home of the Cristaldo Almirón brothers was raided by prosecutor Verónica Valdez, from the Specialized Anti-Corruption Unit, together with agents from the Department Against Organized Crime of the National Police.

That day, Vera allegedly told capital city media that the brothers were smugglers, that there was a “secret in the open” about an “ostentatious management” and that the family spent large sums of money on betting and games of chance. In addition, according to the complaint cited by ABC Color, he also suggested that they were protected by someone with high power in the previous government, in reference to a supposed link with the administration of Mario Abdo Benítez.

The case moved forward after several conciliation hearings failed due to the mayor’s absence. Judge Lourdes Elizabeth Peña accepted the evidence presented by the complainants and ruled that the case be sent to oral trial, with the date set for March 3, 2027, according to ABC Color.

Sources

• ABC Color

About this note. Written by El Notero with assistance from artificial intelligence, based on what was published by the cited outlet. El Notero did not conduct its own reporting on this fact.