Hugo Adalberto Velázquez Moreno (born 3 July 1966) is a

Paraguayan Paraguayans () are the citizens of Paraguay. Though the majority of Paraguayans reside in Paraguay, significant communities have been established in multiple countries, most noticeably Argentina, Spain, United States, Brazil. History The first ...

politician. He is a former Deputy of the

Congress of Paraguay Paraguay's bicameral Congress ''(Congreso)'' consists of a 45-member Senate and an 80-member Chamber of Deputies. It serves as the legislative branch of the Paraguayan state. Both chambers of Congress are elected concurrently with the presid ...

, and he served the President of the Chamber of Deputies from 2014 to 2017. Velázquez was elected

Vice President A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

in the 2018 general elections. In June 2022, he registered his candidacy for president in the

2023 Paraguayan general election General elections were held in Paraguay on 30 April 2023 to elect the president, vice president, National Congress, and departmental governors. The incumbent president Mario Abdo Benítez and vice president Hugo Velázquez Moreno, both of the ...

. However, on 12 August 2022, Velázquez was designated as "significantly corrupt" by the

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy of the United 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. As a result, Velázquez announced he was dropping his presidential candidacy, effective immediately. Velázquez also initially announced his resignation as vice president, but the following week, he reversed course and stated that he would not resign from the office, stating that there were no investigations for corruption against him in Paraguay. 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 The Magnitsky Act, formally known as the Russia and Moldova Jackson–Vanik Repeal and Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act of 2012, is a bipartisan bill passed by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama in D ...

References

External links

Official deputy website
Living people 1966 births Colorado Party (Paraguay) politicians Vice presidents of Paraguay Presidents of the Chamber of Deputies of Paraguay 21st-century Paraguayan politicians People sanctioned under the Magnitsky Act {{Paraguay-politician-stub