Ex-Paraguay President Horacio Manuel Cartes Placed on US Corruption List

The U.S. Department of State revealed a list of corrupt officials on Friday. One of the biggest names included in the list is former Paraguay President Horacio Manuel Cartes.

According to Associated Press, Cartes was included in the list "for his involvement in significant corruption." The former president has been previously investigated for his alleged participation in money laundering operations.

Former Paraguay President Horacio Manuel Cartes Obstructed a Major International Investigation

In a statement, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said as president, Horacio Manuel Cartes "obstructed a major international investigation into transnational crime" to protect himself.

Blinken added that Cartes also did it to protect his "criminal associate from potential prosecution and political damage."

Blinken noted that the former president's actions undermined the stability of the democratic institutions in Paraguay. The Secretary of State also said that Cartes had some involvement with several "foreign terrorist organizations."

However, Blinken's statement did not elaborate on Cartes' alleged involvement with these terrorist organizations. The corruption list also included the president's three adult children, Juan Pablo Cartes Montaña, Sofía Cartes Montaña and María Sol Cartes Montaña.

Following the release of the list, the U.S. Ambassador to Paraguay Marc Ostfield said that more such designations to the U.S. corruption list are likely. However, he declined to provide additional details as investigations are still ongoing.

Former Paraguay President Horacio Manuel Cartes Denies All Allegations by the U.S. Department of State

After the U.S. State Department released its corruption list, Horacio Manuel Cartes released a statement via Twitter. The former president of Paraguay said he denied and rejected the allegations and is committed to offering all the support and information the authorities need to clarify.

Cartes served as president of Paraguay between August 2013 and August 2018. Now out of office, he is currently a businessman in charge of a business empire in his country. His conglomerate includes 25 companies.

According to the Washington Post, these include a media company, a tobacco company, and a supermarket chain. However, throughout his career, he has been investigated for corruption multiple times.

These include investigations about alleged irregularities in his multimillion-dollar assets and allegedly having links with the leader of a money laundering network.

One of the main focuses of the previous investigations against him was money laundering. He was also allegedly involved with illegal drugs and currency fraud. While he is already out of office, the former Paraguayan president is still seeking political leadership as the new president of his conservative political party, Partido Colorado.

The election for the party's president is slated to happen in December, and Horacio Manuel Cartes will be running against the current president of Paraguay, Mario Abdo Benitez.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Horacio Manuel Cartes, Significativamente Corrupto - From ABC TV Paraguay