Christine Folch

Remember Itaipu Binacional? That's the large hydroelectric plant shared by Brazil and Paraguay--the world's largest. These cats and other public officials like them have a practice of using money from the Tesai Foundation (created to distribute Itaipu wealth to address social needs, including things like the people displaced by the dam, etc) for "medical" expenditures (none of them with receipts). These medical expenditures require some elected officials to dip into Tesai an average of once every four days.

Tesai has the kind of fiscal management that it has no trace of a US$2.4million lump sum transfer from Itaipu from a year ago. They know they got the money, they just can't figure out where it went. Millions and millions of dollars go missing into the pockets of officials and friends of government elites while the country struggles to buy basic necessities and there are children living on the street. Oh, and there are regular blackouts-- Itaipu should be able to provide 95% of Paraguay's energy needs with the remaining surplus a hefty amount that could be sold.