Santiago Peña arrested in Paraguay after being removed by Senate
Paraguay's National Police detained former president Santiago Peña at his residence hours after the Senate removed him from office for mismanagement of his duties amid the crisis over the closure of Ueno Bank.
House arrest for the former Paraguayan president
According to lasexta.com, Paraguay's National Police detained former president Santiago Peña at his residence following an order from the Public Prosecutor's Office. The arrest took place a few hours after the Senate removed him for "mismanagement of his duties" in an impeachment trial held in the absence of the head of state. A police officer informed journalists outside the residence that Peña "is now officially detained" and has been notified of his house arrest.
The arrest order stipulates that Peña will remain under house arrest until he is handed over to the Public Prosecutor's Office at the Unit for Economic Crimes and Anti-Corruption in Asunción. Silvia González, one of the prosecutors on the case, confirmed that "it has been verified that he is in his residence and he made himself available". Approximately twenty police officers were guarding the house whilst some protesters demanded that he be imprisoned immediately.
The detention of Carlos Carvallo Spalding was also ordered. He headed the Central Bank of Paraguay (BCP) until last Tuesday before resigning over the Ueno Bank embezzlement scandal. Peña's detention marks a historic moment: he is the second president in Paraguay's recent history to be removed from power through impeachment, after leftist Fernando Lugo (2008-2012).
Crisis sparked by the closure of Ueno Bank
The Central Bank of Paraguay ordered a resolution procedure for Ueno, an institution with 2.9 million clients in a country of 6.1 million inhabitants. The entity had received millions in resources from public bodies during Peña's presidency, raising questions about the then-president's links to the financial institution.
Thousands of savers reported having no access to their funds following the closure. Among those affected were 32,000 retirees from the Social Welfare Institute (IPS), one of the country's main pension funds. The financial collapse triggered protests and a deep political crisis that accelerated impeachment proceedings against Peña.
Impeachment trial and assumption of new administration
The Senate voted in favour of removal with all 44 senators present voting in support. Peña, aged 47, did not attend the legislature despite having been personally summoned; he delegated his representation to two lawyers, Adolfo Ferreiro and Ricardo Preda, who presented a technical and legal defence of the former president.
Pedro Alliana, until then vice president, assumed the presidency. In his first official statement, Alliana announced that those affected by the "financial disaster" caused by the closure of Ueno Bank "will be fully compensated".
Source: Google News ES — Crime (es)