Paraguay
Lizarella Valiente said she was also deceived by Hernán Rivas and denied protecting him
The senator said she believed in the validity of the former lawmaker’s degree and denied any responsibility in an alleged political shield. She also spoke about requests for reports on the detention conditions of Hugo Javier González.
Senator Lizarella Valiente said, in statements reported by ABC Color and Última Hora, that she considers herself a victim of deception by former senator Hernán Rivas, who is being prosecuted in the case over his alleged fake law degree. The lawmaker said she always believed the document was authentic and rejected any responsibility for his appointment as the Senate’s representative before the Jurado de Enjuiciamiento de Magistrados.
According to both outlets, Valiente said she does not take responsibility for a political shield and that the only thing she admits is having trusted Rivas. She also said there were bodies in charge of verifying the validity of university degrees.
According to ABC Color, her remarks came after criticism from opposition senator Esperanza Martínez, who pointed to the Cartista bloc for having promoted Rivas for a sensitive post within the judicial system. That outlet added that Valiente acknowledged that there were already private doubts within the caucus about the former lawmaker’s education and that they were asking her to present proof or bring in former classmates and professors, something that never happened.
Última Hora also reported that the senator excused herself by saying that Rivas had already held that seat on the JEM when he was part of the Chamber of Deputies, and that, in her view, doubts about his background should have been cleared up beforehand.
In another part of the interview with ABC Color, Valiente referred to the situation of former governor of Central Hugo Javier González. She said that the Human Rights Committee requested reports from the Ministry of Justice and the National Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture to clarify the circumstances of his recent injuries during detention.
Still according to ABC Color, the senator stressed that the State must guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of people deprived of liberty and said a working meeting with family members and lawyers is planned. She also said there are conflicting accounts of what happened and that, for that reason, a thorough investigation is warranted.
Sources
About this note. Written by El Notero with the assistance of artificial intelligence, based on what was published by the cited outlet. El Notero did not do its own reporting on this event.
