19 b) Testimony of Ricardo Lugo Rodríguez, Deputy from 1989 to 1993 He has been practicing as a lawyer since 1964. He was the first Deputy for the Ferrerista Revolutionary Party, an office he held from 1989 to 1993. He continued in politics until 1998. When he was a Deputy, he was a member of several committees in the Chamber of Deputies, and of the Bicameral Unlawful Acts Investigation Committee. The latter was a specialized body of the National Congress composed of members of the Chambers of Deputies and Senators. The Bicameral Unlawful Acts Investigation Committee was created in 1992; its function was to investigate unlawful acts committed during “the dictatorship,” and it was of a permanent nature until 1994 or 1995. The Itaipú bi-national corporation is Paraguay’s largest initiative. It takes advantage of the hydroelectric energy of the Paraná River and is considered to be the largest hydroelectric power plant in the world and the second most important engineering works of the century. It was constructed under a treaty concluded between Paraguay and Brazil. The treaty established that the construction of the dam should be “put out to bid.” Several companies took part in the first public bid for the diversion of the Paraná River. However, the Governments of Paraguay and Brazil agreed to by-pass the public bid and award the construction contract by a “beneficial concession” (“concesión graciosa”) to two companies: UNICOM for Brazil and CONEMPA for Paraguay. CONEMPA was a limited liability company composed of five partners which were five construction companies. Owing to the political connections between the dictator and its members, CONEMPA, represented at the time by Juan Carlos Wasmosy, an engineer, obtained the exclusive award of the construction work on the Paraguayan side, and was also awarded the construction of some work on the Brazilian side, to be carried out by its five companies. Under the agreement between Paraguay and Brazil, CONEMPA obtained 8% and UNICOM 92% of the construction work. One of the first issues that the Bicameral Unlawful Acts Investigation Committee examined was the report submitted by the Unified Workers Central (Central Unitaria de Trabajadores) on corruption during construction of the Itaipú hydroelectric power plant and systematic tax evasion by CONEMPA. The Bicameral Committee presented its findings to the Seventh Civil Court of first instance, and also “accompan[ied]” the Unified Workers Central when it presented its “findings” to the Attorney General’s office, reporting corruption in the construction of the Itaipú project and systematic tax evasion, based on a concession granted by the former dictator of the Republic, Alfredo Stroessner. The original cost estimate for the construction of the Itaipú project ranged from two thousand three hundred million to two thousand eight hundred million dollars. However, the final cost was approximately twenty-two thousand three hundred million dollars. Moreover, faced with a possible public bid for the award of healthcare services for the Itaipú workers, CONEMPA organized a healthcare activity and attributed “fabulous sums of money” to itself. The Bicameral Unlawful Acts Investigation Committee of the National