WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1486/98 by Rosemarie WEMHEUER to the Commission. Commission establishment plan
C 354/108 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 19. 11. 98 The judicial process against Mr Lino Oviedo for his abortive attempt at a coup díe·tat in April 1996 was conducted first before the military court and then before Paraguayís Supreme Court of Justice, as requested by the defence. The Supreme Court confirmed the sentence passed by the military court, which condemned Mr Oveido to ten yearsí imprisonment and military disqualification and thus deprived him of his civic and political rights. The interpretation and application of Paraguayís democratic constitution and accompanying legislation are within the competence of Paraguayís judges and courts only. They are the sole guarantors of legality and their decisions are outside the Commissionís remit. (98/C 354/173) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1485/98 by Andrea Manzella (PSE) to the Council (14 May 1998) Subject: Conviction of General Oviedo With regard to the present situation in Paraguay, can the Council say what views have been expressed and what moral suasion has been exercised with regard to the current electoral process? There are strong doubts about its regularity because of the arrest and conviction, under dubious circumstances and without proper guarantees, of General Luis Oviedo, the candidate who received the highest number of votes in the primary elections, recognized as legitimate by the competent judicial authority, and is by far the most popular candidate according to all the opinion polls. Can it say, in particular, on the basis of the Paraguayan Governmentís official records, what the charges were, whether they were well-founded and whether the sentence passed on General Oviedo was in proportion to the offence? Answer (20 July 1998) 1. Taking into account recent pre-electoral events the European Union held the opinion that, even if the situation was worrying, it would not be advisable for the Union to issue a further declaration on Paraguay, following the declaration of 19 November 1997 which stated the EU position. At the same time, within the framework of normal diplomatic contacts, the Union has conveyed to the Paraguayan authorities the concern expressed in this declaration. The Union has also been in close contact with the Mercosur Governments. It has taken careful note of their assessments of the Paraguayan situation and continues to monitor the situation. Furthermore, the EU has cofinanced with the Organization of America States (OAS) an observer electoral mission in Paraguay. 2. The Paraguayan Supreme Court confirmed in mid-April 1998 the sentence of the exceptional military tribunal (TME) which condemned General Oviedo to 10 years in prison for an attempted coup in April 1996. The Council is not in a position to judge whether the charges were well-founded, nor if the sentence was in proportion to the offence. (98/C 354/174) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1486/98 by Rosemarie Wemheuer (PSE) to the Commission (13 May 1998) Subject: Commission establishment plan In view of the recurring argument revolving around an overstaffed administration on the one hand and overworked staff on the other, I would like to have an overview of the exact establishment plan and distribution of officials working in and for the Commission. I would therefore ask the Commission to answer the following questions: