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Paraguay – L’opposition continue de croître contre le casino de Cuidad del Este

The Alto Paraná regional headquarters of the Paraguayan Chamber of Construction (CAPACO) as well as a number of architect guilds and university faculties have now joined other organisations which are calling for plans for a casino on the Paraguay’s National Ports Authority (ANNP) to be scrapped.

If it goes according to plan the casino will be located in a building belonging to the headquarters of the ANNP at the head of the Friendship Bridge (Puente de la Amistad) – an arch bridge connecting the Brazilian city of Foz do Iguaçu and Ciudad del Este.

However, CAPACO and a number of architects from the Universidad Catolica and The Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism of the Universidad Privada del Este insist that the location of the new casino is a local heritage site as the ANNP marks the spot where Ciudad del Este was initially founded and a such plays a vital role in the city’s urban heritage.

The groups issued a combined press release stating that: “The site of the foundation has a historical character not only for the capital of Alto Paraná, but also for our country” and that the site of the ANNP should “be understood as a public space, with an historical and cultural value.” The group also argues that the site is impractical and would not bring benefits to the area and warns that the new building could lead to overcrowding. “The investment that should mean benefits in the development of the sector would probably end up entailing more problems than solutions,” it said. While the the group is in favour of investment in the city they argue that any building project must be part of a larger “plan of economic and social development of the region so that it benefits the greater number of inhabitants of the metropolitan area of Ciudad del Este.”

In December it was revealed that a group of architecture students had appealed to the Ministry of Culture and had asked that the site be declared a site of Historic Interest. Since then opposition has been growing at a fast pace towards the new project and earlier this month it was announced that members of the ANNP now intend to put the President of Paraguay Horacio Cartes on trial for permitting the use of the institution’s land for the construction of a hotel and casino.

La plainte déposée auprès du parquet concerne également d'autres agents publics, dont la maire locale Sandra McLeod de Zacarías, ainsi que d'autres fonctionnaires pour usurpation d'autorité. Les membres du syndicat rejettent les décrets présidentiels n° 6131 et 6865 car ils estiment qu'ils violent la loi portuaire n° 1066, qui interdit, via l'article 16, le recours à des opérations commerciales, financières ou industrielles qui ne sont pas conformes à l'objectif principal du port.

According to the terms of the new bidding process, total investment will stand between US$50m and US$70m and the licence will be granted for twenty years. A number of operators are believed to be interested in opening a casino at the site including Hard Rock International as well as other operators from the United States and Chile. According to the terms of the new bidding process, total investment will stand between US$50m and US$70m and the licence will be granted for 20 years.