Cartes Jara, Horacio Manuel, 1956–, Paraguayan businessman and political leader. The son of a businessman who owned an aircraft franchise, Cartes studied aviation in the United States. At 19 he invested in a currency exchange company that eventually became Paraguay's large Arambay Bank; his business empire grew to also include tobacco, soft drink, food production, and other holdings. One of the wealthiest men in Paraguay, he was several times implicated in illegal activites (currency fraud, drugs, and money laundering) but denied any involvement. Though before 2008 he was not registered to vote, he joined the conservative Colorado party in 2009 and was its presidential candidate in the 2013 election, which he won handily. In 2017 he sought to end the single-term limit on Paraguayan presidents; the move sparked protests and riots. Elected to the senate in 2018, he was unable to take his seat until after his presidency ended because the Senate refused to approve his resignation as president. In 2019 a Brazilian judge sought his arrest in connection with a money-laundering investigation.
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