PARAGUAYAN opposition leader Efrain Alegre has warned of a plot to silence opposition after he was jailed on corruption charges by a “political mafia” on Friday.
“The real intentions of President Mario Abdo’s administration are to eliminate me from the Paraguayan political scenario,” he said, after a pre-trial detention order was made by the court.
Mr Alegre, who finished just four points behind Mr Abdo in the 2018 presidential poll, is accused of falsifying bills in his electoral expenses, a charge he denies.
Sentencing him on Thursday, Judge Cynthia Lovera said he had failed to comply with the alternatives to prison imposed earlier this month.