Development is “a criminal act”
The National Ports Authority of Paraguay is seeking a formal probe of a plan to seize part of its land for a casino complex.
According to G3 Newswire, the ports regulator wants to put Colorado Party member Horacio Cartes, Ciudad Del Este Mayor Sandra McLeod De Zacarias and other public officials on the hot seat for attempting to usurp its authority in taking over the 27-acre parcel. The site in question is located at the local headquarters of the National Ports Authority at the head of the Friendship Bridge border crossing.
The resort plans include a hotel with 200 to 300 rooms along with a swimming pool, shops and other attractions. Would-be operators would be required to invest at least $50 million in the resort in exchange for a 20-year gaming license. U.S.-based operator Hard Rock Cafe International Inc. is said to be interested.
The National Ports Authority said the development would violate the Ports Law 1066, which bans use of the regulator’s land for any unrelated purposes. It also says a casino would destroy the historical and cultural heritage of Ciudad Del Este.
“Horacio Cartes, Sandra McLeod De Zacarias, Gustavo Leite, Javier Balbuena and his accomplices will be reported to the public ministry for the usurpation of public authority for the Directory of Ports and for producing a document with false ideological content,” read a statement from Nicolas Russo, lawyer for the National Ports Authority. “We also anticipate that we are going to demand the political judgment of the president for the poor performance of his duties aside from perpetrating a criminal act against the patrimony of the Paraguayan people.”
