Former Paraguayan president Santiago Peña detained at his home following removal over banking scandal
Paraguay's Senate removed Santiago Peña over a scandal that left three million customers without access to their deposits. Police detained him at his residence hours later.
Peña detained at home after removal by Paraguayan Senate
Paraguay's Senate voted 44 in favour with one absence to remove president Santiago Peña as part of an impeachment trial linked to the Ueno Bank crisis, one of the country's largest banks, according to eldiario.net. The intervention of the institution left approximately three million customers without access to their funds.
Minutes after the Senate's decision, Paraguay's Prosecution Service ordered Peña's detention. Officers from the National Police took up positions outside his residence, and as vice-president Pedro Alliana took the oath as the new head of state, police commanders entered the home of the now former president.
Prosecutor Silvia Margarita González Vester confirmed details of the operation outside the residence. "He is indeed inside his home," she stated, and added that Peña "voluntarily allowed entry to his residence and made himself available for all procedural purposes". According to the prosecutor, the detention was formalised under house custody: "He will remain detained at his residence, the prosecution order has been complied with".
The Paraguayan newspaper ABC, in live broadcast, confirmed through one of its journalists the presence of police and prosecutors inside the residence during the operation.
The prosecution order establishes that Peña Palacios must remain detained at his home "until such time as he is placed at the disposal of the Public Ministry in the Specialised Unit for Economic Crimes and Anti-Corruption". According to reports, the former president was scheduled to give a statement to prosecutors that Saturday at 11:00 a.m.
The crisis was triggered three days before the removal, with the intervention of Ueno Bank, an institution with which Peña maintained ties. Some depositors began gradually recovering part of their funds following the fall of the executive.
Pedro Alliana, who assumed the presidency following the impeachment trial, promised to fully compensate savers harmed by the banking crisis that precipitated his predecessor's departure.
Source: Google News BO — Crime