May 6, 2026 at – 12:58
Lawyer Ricardo Estigarribia, legal representative of the Colorado Cartist senator Erico Galeano, stated that “for the moment” his client will not give up his seat in the Senate. After a conviction against Galeano for money laundering and criminal association was confirmed in the second instance, the Chartist ruling party in the Senate, which had protected him until then, announced that it would accompany a request for loss of investiture.
Although he seems to have lost the support of his colleagues on the official Chartist bench in the Senate after the ratification of the sentence of 13 years in prison against him, which makes it apparently imminent that he be stripped of his investiture as a parliamentarian, the Chartist senator Eric Galeano (ANR, Colorado Party) would not give up his seat, according to what he told ABC Color his lawyer Ricardo Estigarribia.
This week, a Court of Appeals ratified the sentence handed down in the first instance against Senator Galeano, who was found guilty of money laundering linked to drug trafficking and criminal association when it was proven that he had links with a structure linked to alleged drug traffickers Miguel Ángel “Uncle Rico” Insfrán and Sebastian Marset.
After the conviction in the first instance, the Chartist movement bench Honor Colorado in the Senate – to which Galeano belongs – protected him from a possible process of losing his investiture by granting him a controversial “permission” to be absent from Congress.
However, after the ratification of that conviction this week, leadership figures from Honor Colorado announced that Chartism in Congress would accompany a request for loss of investiture and that it was suggested that Galeano resign before that happens.
“At my suggestion, he is not going to resign for the time being.”
However, Estigarribia told today ABC that “at my suggestion, the senator is not going to resign for the moment.”
The lawyer pointed out that, as the Senate withdraws today the permission it granted him, Senator Galeano must return to his seat, which is provisionally occupied by Guadalupe Aveiro (ANR). Only then can the Senate begin a possible process of losing investiture, he indicated.
Read more: Vice leader of the Chartist bench in the Senate “suggested” Erico Galeano to resign
Estigarribia said that he spoke with his client about the “possible legal consequences” of him resigning or being stripped of his investiture in the Senate. He explained that if Galeano is expelled from Congress, the preventive detention mechanism ordered by the Court would be automatically activated when the congressman lost his privileges.
He also added that if the senator is expelled from the Senate and then the Supreme Court of Justice – the last judicial instance to which Galeano can appeal to reverse the conviction against him – decides to acquit him, the politician could take legal action against the parliamentarians who decided on his expulsion and even against the Paraguayan State, although he added that Galeano stated that he has no intention of taking action against the State.
“It is better for politicians to ingratiate themselves with the press”
Estigarribia questioned as “nonsense” that the Senate had granted a permit to Galeano because the sentence was not yet final after the conviction in the first instance and it was withdrawn now, despite the fact that technically the sentence is not yet final as Galeano has the possibility of appealing to the Supreme Court.
Read more: Cartismo lets go of Erico Galeano’s hand and advances his position: resignation or expulsion
“Obviously there are political situations,” he said, adding that “it is better for politicians to ingratiate themselves with the press and certain social sectors” by expelling Galeano.
