Hugo Velázquez Moreno
Hugo Adalberto Velázquez Moreno (born 3 July 1966) is a Paraguayan politician. He is a former Deputy of the Congress of Paraguay,[1] and he served the President of the Chamber of Deputies from 2014 to 2017. Velázquez was elected Vice President in the 2018 general elections.[2]
Hugo Velázquez Moreno | |
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![]() Velázquez in 2019 | |
30th Vice President of Paraguay | |
In office 15 August 2018 – 15 August 2023 | |
President | Mario Abdo Benítez |
Preceded by | Alicia Pucheta |
Succeeded by | Pedro Alliana |
Personal details | |
Born | Hugo Adalberto Velázquez Moreno 3 July 1966 Asunción, Paraguay |
Political party | Colorado Party |
Profession | Lawyer |
In June 2022, he registered his candidacy for president in the 2023 Paraguayan general election.[3][4] However, on 12 August 2022, Velázquez was designated as "significantly corrupt" by the United States Department of State, who accused him of offering a US$1 million bribe to obstruct an investigation involving him, along with an associate, Juan Carlos Duarte, legal counsel for the Yacyretá Dam, and both men had their visa revoked.[5][6] As a result, Velázquez announced he was dropping his presidential candidacy, effective immediately, and his resignation as Vice President, effective the following week.[7][8] However, the following week, Velázquez stated that he would not resign from the vice presidency, stating that there were no investigations for corruption against him in Paraguay.[9][10] On 26 January 2023, the United States announced further sanctions against Velázquez, prohibiting him to do business with U.S. companies or have access to U.S. banks under the Magnitsky Act.[11][12]
References
- "Hugo Adalberto Velázquez Moreno" (in Spanish). Chamber of Deputies of Paraguay. Archived from the original on 29 March 2018. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
- "Hugo Velázquez a favor de "coloradizar" el próximo gabinete" [Hugo Velázquez in favor of "coloradizing" the next cabinet]. ABC Color (in Spanish). 4 April 2018. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
- "Hugo Velázquez: "Asumo el desafío más importante de mi vida"" [Hugo Velázquez: "I take on the most important challenge of my life"]. ABC Color (in Spanish). 15 June 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
- "Hugo Velázquez inscribe precandidatura acompañado de aparatosa caravana en la ANR" [Hugo Velázquez registers pre-candidacy accompanied by ostentatious caravan in the ANR]. Última Hora (in Spanish). 16 June 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
- "Hugo Velázquez, "significativamente corrupto": EE.UU. lo acusa de soborno" [Hugo Velázquez, "significantly corrupt": the U.S. accuses him of bribery]. ABC Color (in Spanish). 12 August 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
- "EEUU agrega a su lista de corruptos al vicepresidente Hugo Velázquez" [The U.S. adds Vice President Hugo Velázquez to its list of corrupt people]. Última Hora (in Spanish). 12 August 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
- "Hugo Velázquez renuncia a su precandidatura a la Presidencia" [Hugo Velázquez renounces his pre-candidacy for the Presidency]. ABC Color (in Spanish). 12 August 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
- "Hugo Velázquez renuncia a candidatura presidencial y a la vicepresidencia" [Hugo Velázquez renounces presidential candidacy and vice presidency]. Última Hora (in Spanish). 12 August 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
- "Velázquez reculó y no renunciará a la Vicepresidencia "por el momento"" [Velázquez backed down and will not resign from the Vice Presidency "for the time being"]. ABC Color (in Spanish). 18 August 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
- "Hugo Velázquez afirma que no es investigado por corrupción y se aferra a la vicepresidencia" [Hugo Velázquez affirms that he is not investigated for corruption and clings to the vice presidency]. Última Hora (in Spanish). 18 August 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
- "EE.UU. impone fuertes sanciones a Horacio Cartes y Hugo Velázquez" [U.S. imposes strong sanctions on Horacio Cartes and Hugo Velázquez]. ABC Color (in Spanish). 26 January 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
- "EEUU impone sanciones financieras a Horacio Cartes y Hugo Velázquez" [US imposes financial sanctions on Horacio Cartes and Hugo Velázquez]. Última Hora (in Spanish). 26 January 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2023.