Julio César Vera Cáceres

Julio César Vera Cáceres is a Paraguayan diplomat and politician who served as the ambassador of Paraguay to Argentina before being appointed president of the Administración Nacional de Navegación y Puertos (ANNP). He made headlines for his controversial lobbying efforts in January 2021 on behalf of HLB Pharma Group S.A. for the acquisition of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine during the COVID-19 pandemic. His actions drew criticism from the Paraguayan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which labeled his lobbying as 'unfortunate' and clarified that the government secured the vaccines without intermediaries. Vera's involvement with HLB Pharma, which is under investigation for links to contaminated fentanyl production, has further complicated his public image.