ProBiCo: Strengthening Paraguay’s Asset Forfeiture program

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In December 2017, the Paraguayan government established the National Secretariat for the Administration of Seized and Forfeited Assets (SENABICO), a newly created government agency responsible for administering seized and forfeited assets. Prior to establishing SENABICO, Paraguayan law enforcement could seize assets, but lacked a mechanism for pre-conviction asset forfeiture or liquidation, making such seizures subject to individual (and sometimes corrupt) judicial officials with little oversight. SENABICO now has responsibility over both pre- and post-conviction asset forfeiture, placing it in a position to deprive criminal organizations of resources and prevent individual offenders from continuing to profit from their crimes. This ability to limit offenders’ financial gain will be key to disrupting and dismantling criminal organizations in Paraguay and the region. New INL support for SENABICO builds on the multi-year OAS-funded “Proyecto BIDAL,” through which Paraguay drafted and passed legislation authorizing the creation of SENABICO. INL provided support for a regional exchange of asset forfeiture experts to facilitate the drafting of SENABICO-implementing regulations that were completed and presented to the Executive in January 2018. To support further progress in advancing an effective asset forfeiture regime in Paraguay, and building on lessons learned throughout the hemisphere, INL has allocated $400,000. The over-arching goal of this program is to support SENABICO’s strong and sound institutional growth from the beginning and help it become effective at managing and liquidating seized and forfeited assets for the benefit of Paraguayan national interests.

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