Paraguay VP to resign following U.S. corruption allegations
Paraguay Vice President Hugo Velázquez Moreno reportedly mentioned Friday that he would resign subsequent week after he was included on a U.S. corruption list for his alleged involvement in providing bribes to a public official.
Why it issues: Velázquez was seen as a number one contender to change into a presidential candidate for the Colorado Occasion in subsequent 12 months’s elections, the AP studies.
- Whereas he dropped out of the presidential race upon the U.S. designation, Velázquez has maintained his innocence, per the AP.
Driving the information: Marc Ostfield, the U.S. ambassador to Paraguay, introduced Friday morning that Velázquez can be added to a U.S. corruption record for allegedly providing bribes to a public official, per the AP. His shut affiliate Juan Carlos Duarte was additionally added to the U.S. corruption record.
- Velázquez and Duarte are barred from from coming into the U.S. on account of the designation.
What they’re saying: “We stand dedicated to supporting democracy and selling accountability for corrupt officers,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken mentioned in a tweet on Friday.
- “We are going to proceed working with (President Mario Abdo Benítez) and his authorities, towards corruption and impunity, whereas selling the financial development of each international locations,” Ostfield mentioned in a tweet.
